Brussels, 17/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - Turkey will not block the setting in place of a European defence policy, repeated the EU foreign ministers during the General Affairs Council, on Monday in Brussels. It would not be "acceptable" for the adoption, or otherwise, of an "operational ESDP declaration" expected from the Laeken Summit in December to be "determined by a third country which is not for now a member of the EU", Belgian Foreign Minister and President of the Council Louis Michel pounded out (see EUROPE of 11 July, p.3, on the subject of his declarations at the European Parliament, and EUROPE of 12 July, p.7, on declarations by Defence Minister André Flahaut). Turkey "should not seek to slow down the implementation of European defence policy", said French Foreign Minister Hubert Védrine, inviting Turkey to "use more European means for defending its arguments".
On Monday, the ministers took stock of the situation on the establishment of EU defence capacities in the prospect of the next capabilities conference in November. High Representative for ESDP Javier Solana insisted on this occasion that the Member States should focus on the strategic capabilities to be improved. (For the Council common position on the Torrejón Satellite Institute and the WEU Security Studies Institute, see EUROPE of 14 July, pages 3 and 4).