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Chirac says France firm on developing European defense force

PLA Daily 2004-01-09

PARIS, Jan. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- France is determined to pursue the development of a European autonomous defense capability, French President Jacques Chirac said Thursday.

But, said Chirac, a Europe with an autonomous defense system will not conflict with the operations of the North Atlantic TreatyOrganization (NATO).

In a New Year message to the French military, Chirac said Europe must have the capacity to act when NATO feels unable to take action.

"It is for this reason that we tirelessly pursue the development of a European policy of security and defense in full transparency with NATO but with firmness and determination," he said.

"France considers its memberships of the European Union (EU) and NATO as perfectly compatible. There cannot exist any opposition between NATO and the European Union," he said.

France has redoubled efforts to develop a European defense force in the past months, eagerly defending the establishment of a planning and operational headquarters for the EU which Washington criticized as a duplication of NATO capabilities.

In response, France has repeatedly reaffirmed that NATO will remain the cornerstone of European defense policy despite plans to give the European Union an independent military planning capability.

France is one of the major contributors to the transatlantic alliance, particularly in operations in the Balkans and Afghanistan, said Chirac.

He also said French national defense development will be pursued "in a constant and vigorous way," adding that the proposed 2004 defense budget, in which equipment spending is to rise by 9.2percent, will be honored.