Washington and London have spoken out against plans for closer defence ties announced by four European Union countries which opposed the war in Iraq
Published:
30 April 2003 y., Wednesday
The leaders of France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg ended a mini-summit in Brussels by announcing plans for the creation of a joint military planning system by next year, and a multinational headquarters for European military operations in which Nato is not involved.
The four countries - all members of Nato - also intend to set up their own rapid reaction force. They also want to launch a European Security and Defence Union, which others would be encouraged to join.
Hopes that Europe was ready to move closer to a common defence and foreign policy have been left in tatters by the Iraq war, which split the EU into pro- and anti-war camps.
The mini-summit has been criticised for worsening the rift - and critics pointed out that it had excluded the EU's biggest military power, the UK.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said the US saw no need for the proposed new EU military command. He also played down the significance of the summit agreement on defence.
Šaltinis:
BBC News
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
Heads of foreign states bid farewell to the late President of the Republic of Lithuania, Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas.
more »
Today we say farewell to one of the most prominent Lithuanian politicians, a sincere and open person, a man of principle, Algirdas Brazauskas - the first directly elected president of Lithuania after re-independence.
more »
Head of Cabinet of the Secretary General of the Council of the European Union Marek Mora is paying a visit to Lithuania from 30 June to 1 July.
more »
Lithuania‘s Minister of Foreign Affairs A. Ažubalis says, that continuous implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon, energy security, as well as European Union‘s relations with Eastern Neighbourhood countries and Russia would stay on the list of European policy issues that are the most important to Lithuania in the second half of 2010.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė calls the decisions adopted by the European Council strategic and important for Lithuania and for the whole European Union.
more »
On 16 June in Vilnius, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis and Poland’s Minister of National Defence Bogdan Klich discussed successful bilateral cooperation on security and defence matters.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė sent congratulations to President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson of the Republic of Iceland on Iceland's national holiday, the Independence Day.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė goes on an official visit to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė received a high-ranking government official from China, He Guoqiang.
more »
On the occasion of European Day for Border Guards, the 10th of June, heads of diplomatic missions of the European Union member states in Lithuania visited the Border Guard School in Medininkai.
more »