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Tuesday, April 29, 2003

 
Anti-war 4 'relaunch' EU defense
In a move that some are calling "a declaration of emancipation" from the US, four European countries that did not support the US's war in Iraq - Germany, France, Belgium and Luxemburg - gathered for a two-hour mini-summit in Brussels, Belgium today to discuss better coordination of military activities among European nations. The countries agreed on several points, including a request to the group writing a new constitution for the European Union to include in its text the concept of a "European Security and Defence Union" (ESDU).

While the four countries said the talks were aimed at strengthening existing ties in Europe, many saw the effort as an anti-US and anti-NATO move. Many experts believe the group wants to create a military outside of the influence that the US has over NATO affairs. Britain, Spain and Italy, countries which did support the US, were not invited to the meeting. All three expressed anger that the meeting was being held.

NATO issued a statement saying that it was concerned that the meeting would result in a duplication, rather than a multiplication, of military resources. And US Secretary of State Colin Powell said he saw no need for a new EU military command.

Other military observers pointed out that the meeting was originally called when tempers were much hotter, and this latest move came at a time when it is now out of step with efforts to "soothe the feud." Dr. Dana Allin, a London-based expert on trans-Atlantic relations at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the proposals do not sound too sinister.

"What I don't see, and this is the real point, is I can't see any plausible harmful project that could be detrimental to the US or to NATO, unless the people are out for a grievance. They know...that a serious European defence capability is not going to occur without Britain anyway," he said. "And if they did create it on their own, that would mean the Germans creating the deployment capability to complement France. If that's the case then I think that would actually be good."

(A Changed World: Daily Update | csmonitor.com
updated 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT April 29, 2003)
KAZAMA 4/29/2003