London, 30/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - At the summit in London on 29 November between Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac and Lionel Jospin (focussing on Afghanistan), France and the UK issued a statement on European security and defence policy in which they confirmed that extending Europe's military capabilities was a crucial precondition for the success of CSDP and that it is the integrated nature of the civilian, military and police aspects, closely linked with trade, financial and relevant aid policies, that set the European Union off from the rest of the world. The statement added that the EU would be gradually be able to take on more complex operations as it built its capacities and assets. In a separate development, France and Germany stress the importance of the A400% military fighter plane project and have signalled their determination to continue with the scheduled timetable and agreed commitments. (In a press release issued at the Franco-German summit in Nantes on 23 November, France and Germany indicated that the contract would be signed by the end of the year but Italy (which had initially signalled it would be withdrawing from the project) has not yet made a final decision.)