Brussels, 03/12/2001 (Agence Europe) - In his talks with Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, in the context of his rounds of EU capitals before the Laeken Summit, EU Council President Guy Verhofstadt raised, in particular, the problem of Turkey's blocking a European Union/NATO Agreement on placing Atlantic Alliance assets at the EU's disposal for future European Union-led conflict prevention or management operations. According to the Greek press agency ANA, on that occasion, Mr. Verhofstadt denied that the EU had given Ankara assurances of the Aegean Sea's and Cyprus' exclusion from any future Union operations, and is said to have confirmed that, even were Ankara to continue to place obstacles to an agreement with NATO, the European Council of Laeken would adopt a resolution on the operational nature of the future Union Rapid Reaction force, while co-operating with the Atlantic Alliance on a case-by case basis (see EUROPE of 29 November, p.3 for what Louis Michel had to say before the European Parliament). This type of operation is decided by Member States of the EU and no third State takes part in the decision, stressed Mr. Simitis, still according to ANA (negotiations with Ankara, with the mediation of the Director General of the Foreign Office, Peter Rickett and of the State Department provide for consultation with Turkey, but no participation in decision).
At the same time, the day before the arrival in Ankara of Colin Powell, American Secretary of State, Turkish Prime minister Bulent Ecevit said that Turkey "justified expectations had been widely taken into account. As for Colin Powell, he said he would encourage Turkey to do its best to break the deadlock. You my recall that Colin Powell, who is in Brussels on 6 and 7 December for the autumn ministerial talks of the NATO Council, will on that occasion participate in the second European Union/Atlantic Alliance ministerial meeting.