Military

DATE=10/11/01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-281674

TITLE=FRANCE/SPAIN/TERRORISM (L ONLY)

BYLINE=LISA BRYANT

DATELINE=PARIS

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: At a meeting in the southern French city of Perpignan, French and Spanish leaders agreed today (Wednesday) to push for the creation of Europe-wide arrest warrants as a key step in fighting terrorism. Lisa Bryant has more from Paris on the results of the Franco-Spanish summit.

TEXT: Even before the September 11th attacks in the United States, France and Spain were discussing ways to strengthen their cooperation in the fight against terrorism. Over the past months, officials from both countries have been working more closely together against the Basque separatist group E-T-A.

While E-T-A guerrillas have staged the vast majority of their attacks in Spain, they have used France for training recruits and have launched attacks from French territory.

Summit officials said the talks between Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin offered an opportunity to reaffirm the two governments' solidarity in fighting E-T-A violence.

/// OPT /// Coinciding with summit, the Agence France-Presse news agency said a suspected E-T-A member was detained in Paris on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. /// END OPT ///

Madrid takes over the rotating European Union presidency in January and has vowed to make justice and domestic affairs central issues. The European Union has already agreed to introduce European-wide procedures to prosecute terrorist suspects.

Besides terrorism, the talks between French and Spanish leaders also focused on proposals to link French and Spanish high-speed rail services across the Pyrenees mountains straddling the two countries.

Madrid has been pushing for the completion of an underground link by 2005, which would allow Spain to extend its train service to other parts of northern Europe.

/// OPT TO END /// But the summit talks were jarred by a very domestic concern: French presidential elections, which are seven months away. Hundreds of supporters chanted Mr. Chirac's name, as the French president and Mr. Aznar reviewed an honor guard. That apparently didn't please French Prime Minister Jospin. The two French politicians are considered likely rivals in next year's race. (Signed)

NEB/LB/KL/MAR