French Defence Minister: Non-alignment means nothing in EU
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France’s Minister of Defence Michèle Alliot-Marie says that the notion that a member state of the European Union could be militarily non-aligned is a relic of the Cold War.
In an interview with Helsingin Sanomat in advance of an official visit to Finland, Alliot-Marie dismissed the concept of non-alignment, saying that it has no meaning in the modern world. The French Defence Minister arrives in Finland today, Monday.
France is one of the most enthusiastic supporters of a common EU defence.
Defence cooperation within the EU has caused problems in Finland because of the tradition of non-alignment. In the negotiations for an EU constitution, Finland did all it could to keep any mention of binding security guarantees out of the proposed document.
Non-alignment is also seen as one of the foundations of Finnish defence policy in the government’s security policy report, which was submitted to Parliament on Friday.
"It is most important to know if Finland feels that to put an end to terrorism and to protect itself, it is important to take part in the prevention of crises around the world", Alliot-Marie said.
She also noted that Finland has participated, and still participates in Partnership for Peace activities.
The French Defence Minister says that of all aspects of cooperation in the EU, the greatest strides in recent years have been made in the field of defence.
Dismissing fears expressed in Finland and some other EU countries that some member states might want to set up a closed club of nations cooperating more closely than the rest, Alliot-Marie said that it is important for as many countries as possible to take part in the common defence of the EU.
She noted that peacekeeping operations have more legitimacy among the parties to conflicts if they involve a fairly large number of countries.
She also said that although small countries do not have the same resources as a military power like France, small countries can specialise in tasks that are very valuable.
Alliot-Marie has travelled extensively in Northern Europe in recent times. Before coming to Finland she was in Sweden. In the summer she visited Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
The French Defence Minister has sought to convince the leaders of the Baltic States and other new EU member countries that military cooperation within the EU does not erode NATO, which the former socialist countries see as the foundation of their security.
France has also sought to allay US suspicions that the common EU defence would come at NATO's expense.
Relations between France and the USA have been "normalised" after the crisis caused by the Iraq War, says Michèle Alliot-Marie. On the other hand she feels that the old allies are developing "in somewhat different directions".
She feels that because of Europe’s bloody history, Europeans put a higher priority on peace than Americans do.
"The Americans have a desire to spread their vision through the whole world", she says. She also notes that Americans also put a priority on personal success, while Europeans focus more on solidarity, and the well-being of society as a whole.
"Europeans appreciate other people more and understand cultural differences more easily", said French Minister of Defence Michèle Alliot-Marie in her interview with Helsingin Sanomat last week.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 27.9.2004 - TODAY |
 French Defence Minister: Non-alignment means nothing in EU |
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