Brussels, 07/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - NATO and the Western European Union (WEU) - before the latter almost totally disappears - will conduct, from 11 to 15 June in the Netherlands, a last joint exercise, a joint theoretical survey (JES 2001), at the invitation of the Dutch defence minister. The EU-led exercise will concern Combined Joint Task Forces (CJTF), calling for NATO assets and means. It mainly requires a CJTF headquarters, under the political control and strategic management of the WEU Council, states a press release. Troops will not be deployed. The exercise is open to all NATO and WEU countries. Partnership for Peace countries, as well as the UN and the European Union are invited to send observers.
The scenario for the exercise provides for WEU-led peace support operations, of the "Petersberg" kind, under UN mandate in a fictitious island off the coast of western Africa. The theoretical study aims to increase interoperability and to prepare joint WEU-NATO procedures for the establishment and the working of an operational staff at strategic level, as well as to provide general directives for operational planning of a CJTF operation led by WEU and using NATO means and assets, explains the press release. (Press Unit from 11 to 15 June: tel. 31-71-367.71.20; e-mail: jes01_press@hotmail.com).