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– EuroArmy...For Peace or
War?
EU Defense Ministers Plan New
Paramilitary Force
DW World (Germany)
At Friday's meeting in the Dutch town of Noordwij, EU defense ministers
will announce the creation of an EU paramilitary force to help with
peacekeeping. German Defense Minister Struck says his country won't
contribute.
Increasingly, the European Union has been called upon to help with
peacekeeping and law enforcement in post-conflict regions like the
Balkans. In December, NATO will hand over command of the 7,000 strong
peacekeeping force in Bosnia to the EU.
To help handle such undertakings, EU defense ministers -- meeting in the
Dutch seaside resort town on Friday --will announce the creation of a
paramilitary force modeled on the French gendarmes or the Italian
carabinieri.
Unlike rapid reaction forces, which the EU is still in the process of
putting together, the proposed gendarmes will not see active duty in
conflict zones like Iraq. Instead, they'll concentrate on imposing law
and order in post-conflict zones.
Germany not to participate
German Defense Minister Peter Struck, who will also attend Friday's
meeting, said his country would not contribute to the force. "We have
absolutely no plans to join this force," Struck told the German
television station WDR on Thursday.
Struck pointed to his country's WWII history, which he says makes it
difficult for Germany to create military-style forces responsible for
maintaining domestic law and order in other countries.
Five other countries -- France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the
Netherlands -- have already publicly stated their support for the
project. In addition to Germany, Poland and Belgium have not agreed to
contribute troops. Still, both have reserved the right to participate at
a later date.
Yet another EU defense plan
The plan calls for the creation of an 800-strong force that can be
deployed within 30 days by 2005. The idea was initially proposed last
September by French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, who said
Europe needed a better organized force to deal with post-conflict
security.
"In all crises one notices that the purely military phase is
systematically followed by a civilian-military phase, where the aspect
of maintaining order becomes increasingly important," said Alliot-Marie.
She, no doubt, has been paying attention to the situation in Iraq.
The gendarme force is the latest in a series initiatives related to EU
defense matters. Many such proposals invariably prove controversial,
with some arguing for more Independent EU capabilities, while others
fear the development of a so-called "euro army" will antagonize the US
and duplicate -- at great expense -- the resources of NATO.
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