Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-03-12-Speech-3-148"
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"en.20030312.4.3-148"2
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Ladies and gentlemen, I shall begin this statement, if I may, with a few words about a good friend of mine, Zoran Djindjic, the prime minister of Serbia, who sadly has been assassinated. This is a shocking incident because we have lost a friend, we have lost a European ally, we have lost someone who was fighting for democracy and stability in the region, the region of south-eastern Europe and the Balkans. I should like to convey my personal condolences to his family, his wife and children and, of course, the Serbian nation as a whole. We share their pain. Τhis tragic incident today has not only shocked us, it has reminded us that we, the European Union, remain committed to efforts to bring about stability, efforts to bring about peace and efforts to bring about progress in this region of Europe, a region which has been through hard times over recent years, with endless upheavals and ethnic conflicts, a region in which democracy has taken root in every country but is still in its infancy, a region in which, thanks to cooperation between the European Union, the international community, the UN, the United States, Russia and numerous others, spearheaded by Europe, we have managed to set stability and development in motion. However, this incident shows that we still have a long way to go. As President-in-Office of the Council, I should like to point out that the operation we are discussing in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia highlights our role in and our commitment to this region, our commitment to helping this region move towards Europe and, above all, our commitment to stability and peace in the region.
Before closing, I should like, if I may, to comment on the objective, duration, size of the force and command of the operation. The objective is to maintain the international military presence in order to prepare the ground for a stable security environment which will allow the government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to apply the Ohrid framework agreement. It is expected to last about six months. The end of the operation will depend on when the basic objective is achieved. The force numbers 487 men, including 212 staff positions. The structure and control of the operation are vital to the command of the operation. The Deputy Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, Admiral Feist, who will head the European operation in the FYROM, recently reported on this in detail to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy.
I do not want to bore you with the details; however, I would simply like to mention that it has been decided that the operation in FYROM will be carried out using NATO assets and capabilities; consequently, the planning will be as decided in Nice. The Deputy Supreme Allied Commander for Europe has been appointed as operation commander, and the European Union operational headquarters will be at SΗΑΡΕ.
As I mentioned, the operational plan has already been drawn up and submitted to the Military Committee of the European Union, and SΗΑΡΕ and the Military Staff of the European Union are working in close cooperation.
In order to ensure optimum coordination of activities between the European Union and ΝΑΤΟ, and especially between the forces of the European Union in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and ΝΑΤΟ forces, which will mainly be stationed in Kosovo, a command base has been set up in the European Union, at the NATO base in Naples in Italy. As I said, France has been elected as the framework nation for the operation and will have the lead role in directing the operation. Brigadier-General Maral has therefore been appointed as force commander. However, ΝΑΤΟ will keep a supreme military representative at allied headquarters in Skopje and the two staffs will therefore work in close collaboration.
I should like to close this briefing on a note of optimism; I trust that, despite the difficulties, which were only to be expected, the European security and defence policy has now come of age. And now that it has come of age, the crisis management mechanism built up over the last four years can be implemented. This first operation is, I think, particularly important. We welcome this initiative on the part of the European Union, because the presidency was able to overcome obstacles to cooperation between the ESDP and NATO during the previous six months of the ESDP.
We are looking forward both to the positive implementation of these decisions and to really being able to bring peace and stability to this region of south-eastern Europe, especially in the wake of incidents such as today’s tragic incident.
This operation is important on several counts. First, it will help to pave the way for long-term security and stability in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity and the inviolability of its internationally recognised borders. Secondly, this operation will help enhance the role and profile of the European Union in this country. It will, if you like, reinforce this country’s progress towards European integration within the context of the Stabilisation and Association Process. It will facilitate the application of the framework agreement. Thirdly, it will be the first practical test of the European military crisis management mechanism and the second step, following the policing mission in Bosnia, in putting the European Union’s operational capability into practice. Consequently, preparations and the operation itself need to be completed with the utmost care. Our credibility, the credibility of the European Union, hangs in the balance. Fourthly, this is the first practical application of cooperation between the European Union and NATO in the crisis management sector and implementation of the related permanent arrangements, which we expect to be completed very quickly.
The European Union has taken over this operation subject to two basic preconditions. First, permanent arrangements between the European Union and NATO must be completed and concluded and, secondly, a request must be submitted by the official authorities in the country in question.
As far as the first precondition is concerned, permanent arrangements are nearing completion. Almost all the relevant draft texts have already been agreed by ΝΑΤΟ and transmitted to the European Union. We shall make any comments or observations needed on our part and expect to have the texts ready for signing by the two organisations very shortly, in all events before the month is out.
As far as the second precondition is concerned, we already have an official request from the government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia asking the European Union to take over this mission and all the parties involved have welcomed the initiative in question.
The Greek Presidency has included the takeover of this mission in its basic priorities in the ESDP area and is therefore making every effort along these lines. We should also point out that our taking over this specific mission and possibly other missions in the Balkans, such as the SForce operation in Bosnia, does not mean that the involvement and presence of ΝΑΤΟ and/or the United States has come to an end. On the contrary, we shall continue to work in close cooperation and we need to make it clear to all sides that this cooperation is continuing and that we shall be working together for the stability and security of the region. Similarly, as we shall be taking over from ΝΑΤΟ, rather than starting a new operation, we shall need to work closely with the alliance in order to ensure there is a seamless takeover and continuity. We shall, of course, need to take over within the specific permanent arrangements agreed, in order to safeguard the autonomy of both organisations.
As far as progress is concerned in the light of what I have just said, I should like to comment briefly on the main milestones so far in preparing for this mission. The Council adopted the general idea of the operation on 23 January and the related joint action on 27 January. The institutional framework for the operation and, more importantly, the funding arrangements, are in place. The Political and Security Committee decided which third countries would be invited to participate on 4 February. They are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Iceland, Norway, Turkey and Canada. On 7 February, the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander for Europe was appointed as operation commander. It was decided that operational headquarters would be at SΗΑΡΕ. The French force commander was also appointed, given that France has been elected to act as framework nation. On the same day, the initial military guideline was issued to the operation commander. The operation commander has submitted a draft operational plan, including the rules of engagement administration and control structure and a statement of resource requirements, to the Military Committee. On 18 February, the Political and Security Committee therefore decided to set up a Contributions Committee. Finally, the conference to set up the force was held on 20 February and the conference to appoint the force staff was held on 25 February.
A number of outstanding issues have yet to be completed; the permanent European Union/ΝΑΤΟ arrangements I referred to earlier have to be officially concluded, especially the agreement needed in order to release the NATO assets and capabilities which will be supplied to the European Union so that it can carry out this mission, the operational plan has to be approved and adopted, staffing arrangements have to be completed, the operational budget has to be approved, an agreement has to be concluded with third participating countries, correspondence on the operation needs to be exchanged with the former Yugoslav Republic, an agreement on the status of the forces has to be concluded with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, exemption agreements between the Member States involved in the operation have to be concluded, correspondence needs to be exchanged with the OSCE about relations with its observers, ΝΑΤΟ has to pass a decision ending the ‘Allied Harmony’ operation and the Council has to pass a decision inaugurating the operation.
This decision will set the exact date on which the operation is taken over. It is expected to start officially before the end of the month, as soon as the outstanding issues I mentioned have been taken care of."@en1
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