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 | | Monday, 10 December, 2001, 13:53 GMT EU fights to save defence deal  The force would allow the EU to act without Nato EU foreign ministers are battling to salvage a deal on the planned rapid reaction force in the face of a threatened rebellion by Greece. At a meeting in Brussels they will have to convince Greece that a deal on the force struck with Turkey does not endanger Greek national interests. Greece is worried that the involvement of its historic enemy poses a security threat. Ministers are keen to resolve the situation ahead of the Laeken summit later this week, when the Belgian presidency hopes to declare the defence force operational. Nato sensitivities Earlier this month, three-way talks between the UK, the US and Turkey achieved a breakthrough, overcoming Turkey's opposition to the EU's defence plan.
That agreement now needs to be approved by the EU as a whole, including Greece. Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem warned Greece it would "make a mistake" if it went against the deal, achieved after long and difficult negotiations. Turkey apparently dropped its objections after receiving assurances it would be consulted on a case-by-case basis. But Greece does not want Turkish involvement to go too far, and has said the EU must retain "autonomy" regarding issues of foreign policy and defence. The EU hopes that its 60,000-strong force will be ready to go into action by 2003. The aim is to have an independent force for humanitarian and peace-keeping missions where Nato as a whole does not want to get involved. It is also seen as a way of boosting Europe's role in international affairs. | | See also:  Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Europe stories now:  Links to more Europe stories are at the foot of the page. | |
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