EU army agreed
the telgraph | 18.03.2002 09:59
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard and George Jones in Barcelona
(Filed: 16/03/2002)
THE European Union's new military force was on the way to becoming a reality last night when key EU leaders agreed in principle that it should take over peacekeeping in Macedonia this year.
They made the decision despite Ministry of Defence warnings that the mission could go disastrously wrong.
Jacques Chirac, Bertie Ahern,Tony Blair and Romano Prodi take a break from the summit
Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief, told The Telegraph that Britain was no longer opposing the deployment of the rapid reaction force in the Balkans.
He said EU leaders were close to an agreement that would place the 700-strong Nato-led Amber Fox peacekeeping mission in Macedonia under EU operational control.
"We expect to issue a statement declaring our readiness to take over Amber Fox at the end of September if need be."
British officials confirmed that the EU leaders were expected to issue a statement about the operation in their final communique today.
But issues still had to be resolved between Greece and Turkey over any future access to Nato equipment should the troops in Macedonia run into trouble.
Spanish riot police clash with anarchists in Barcelona
Tony Blair appeared to have given ground to President Chirac of France, who pushed the idea vigorously in a series of meetings at the European summit in Barcelona.
M Chirac has been determined to create what opposition politicians in Britain fears will be the basis of an army that could undermine Nato.
The decision was not formally announced; nor did British officials give any hint that Mr Blair had agreed that the European force should take on its first role.
But M Chirac's spokesman, Catherine Colona, said that after a long conversation Mr Blair appeared to have moved towards the French position.
EU officials said Mr Blair was understood to have made the concession after France agreed to open its energy markets to competition.
The Prime Minister was anxious to achieve progress on deregulation to demonstrate that the EU was taking economic reform seriously.
He has been forced to play down expectations of any significant breakthrough at Barcelona. Last July he said the summit would be "make or break" for reform.
He would have been seriously embarrassed to return to London today without being able to show that he had secured more competition on energy - as French companies run British utilities but British companies cannot supply electricity in France.
Mr Blair also dropped his objections to the EU's £2 billion Galileo satellite project, intended to rival America's global positioning system.
Galileo is seen as vital in making the EU an independent force to avoid "vassal status", as M Chirac said.
Mr Blair was a driving force behind the creation of the rapid reaction force, which will eventually be able to put 60,000 troops in any trouble spot within 60 days for peacekeeping where Nato does not want to become involved.
But the demands for the force to be deployed in Macedonia, where Nato is keeping apart ethnic Albanians and the Macedonian Slavs, has already provoked a furious row in Whitehall.
Last month leaked documents showed that Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, and Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, were at odds over whether British soldiers should be involved.
Despite what was described as strong advice from the Ministry of Defence, Mr Straw urged Mr Blair to agree that troops be sent to demonstrate commitment to the EU.
Mr Hoon and Sir Michael Boyce, the Chief of the Defence Staff, told Downing Street that the situation in Macedonia was likely to deteriorate and that British troops would be at risk.
They said the rapid reaction force was incapable of mounting the Madeconian operation and that Britain's forces were already overstretched.
Troops could easily be caught in the crossfire, they said.
"There would be a real risk that the EU's first mission would end in failure or rescue by a re-engaged Nato, which would be disastrous in presentational terms.
"An EU-led operation in Macedonia would not be 'premature' but simply wrong . . . we should not risk stability in the Balkans by opting for an EU-led operation."
The Tories said that British forces were being put at risk because the rapid reaction force was "a paper army desperately trying to find a mission to prove itself".
As the heavily guarded leaders met outside Barcelona, riot police in the centre of the city charged several hundred anarchists protesting about Third World poverty and the EU anti-terrorist laws. Seventeen people were arrested.
15 March 2002: Row over US veto on EU army
4 March 2002: Straw under fire for wanting British troops in EU force
3 March 2002: Cabinet at war over 'disastrous' EU army plan
15 December 2001: EU force 'operational' despite relying on US
21 July 2001: Protester pays with his life
(Filed: 16/03/2002)
THE European Union's new military force was on the way to becoming a reality last night when key EU leaders agreed in principle that it should take over peacekeeping in Macedonia this year.
They made the decision despite Ministry of Defence warnings that the mission could go disastrously wrong.
Jacques Chirac, Bertie Ahern,Tony Blair and Romano Prodi take a break from the summit
Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief, told The Telegraph that Britain was no longer opposing the deployment of the rapid reaction force in the Balkans.
He said EU leaders were close to an agreement that would place the 700-strong Nato-led Amber Fox peacekeeping mission in Macedonia under EU operational control.
"We expect to issue a statement declaring our readiness to take over Amber Fox at the end of September if need be."
British officials confirmed that the EU leaders were expected to issue a statement about the operation in their final communique today.
But issues still had to be resolved between Greece and Turkey over any future access to Nato equipment should the troops in Macedonia run into trouble.
Spanish riot police clash with anarchists in Barcelona
Tony Blair appeared to have given ground to President Chirac of France, who pushed the idea vigorously in a series of meetings at the European summit in Barcelona.
M Chirac has been determined to create what opposition politicians in Britain fears will be the basis of an army that could undermine Nato.
The decision was not formally announced; nor did British officials give any hint that Mr Blair had agreed that the European force should take on its first role.
But M Chirac's spokesman, Catherine Colona, said that after a long conversation Mr Blair appeared to have moved towards the French position.
EU officials said Mr Blair was understood to have made the concession after France agreed to open its energy markets to competition.
The Prime Minister was anxious to achieve progress on deregulation to demonstrate that the EU was taking economic reform seriously.
He has been forced to play down expectations of any significant breakthrough at Barcelona. Last July he said the summit would be "make or break" for reform.
He would have been seriously embarrassed to return to London today without being able to show that he had secured more competition on energy - as French companies run British utilities but British companies cannot supply electricity in France.
Mr Blair also dropped his objections to the EU's £2 billion Galileo satellite project, intended to rival America's global positioning system.
Galileo is seen as vital in making the EU an independent force to avoid "vassal status", as M Chirac said.
Mr Blair was a driving force behind the creation of the rapid reaction force, which will eventually be able to put 60,000 troops in any trouble spot within 60 days for peacekeeping where Nato does not want to become involved.
But the demands for the force to be deployed in Macedonia, where Nato is keeping apart ethnic Albanians and the Macedonian Slavs, has already provoked a furious row in Whitehall.
Last month leaked documents showed that Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, and Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, were at odds over whether British soldiers should be involved.
Despite what was described as strong advice from the Ministry of Defence, Mr Straw urged Mr Blair to agree that troops be sent to demonstrate commitment to the EU.
Mr Hoon and Sir Michael Boyce, the Chief of the Defence Staff, told Downing Street that the situation in Macedonia was likely to deteriorate and that British troops would be at risk.
They said the rapid reaction force was incapable of mounting the Madeconian operation and that Britain's forces were already overstretched.
Troops could easily be caught in the crossfire, they said.
"There would be a real risk that the EU's first mission would end in failure or rescue by a re-engaged Nato, which would be disastrous in presentational terms.
"An EU-led operation in Macedonia would not be 'premature' but simply wrong . . . we should not risk stability in the Balkans by opting for an EU-led operation."
The Tories said that British forces were being put at risk because the rapid reaction force was "a paper army desperately trying to find a mission to prove itself".
As the heavily guarded leaders met outside Barcelona, riot police in the centre of the city charged several hundred anarchists protesting about Third World poverty and the EU anti-terrorist laws. Seventeen people were arrested.
15 March 2002: Row over US veto on EU army
4 March 2002: Straw under fire for wanting British troops in EU force
3 March 2002: Cabinet at war over 'disastrous' EU army plan
15 December 2001: EU force 'operational' despite relying on US
21 July 2001: Protester pays with his life
the telgraph