Madrid, 01/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - Spanish Prime Minister José Maria Aznar announced that the European military intervention force for conflict prevention and management could carry out its first mission in Macedonia. Speaking before a group of journalists on Thursday, he hoped that "during the Spanish Presidency, a decision would be taken on the first European military operation in Macedonia", thereby confirming the European force operational, as declared at the Laeken Summit. This mission would take over the current "Amber Fox" mission, under UN mandate, said the Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Piqué. "It is important to provide public opinion with an idea of the EU's military operationality and of the progression of the European common security and defence policy", he remarked, adding that it was also "a question of credibility vis-à-vis third countries", notably in transatlantic relations. Asked about the possibility of such an operation without a formal agreement with NATO on the use of its logistical and command assets, Piqué said that the operation would have to be undertaken according to the "traditional arrangements" of co-operation between the EU and the Alliance. At the end of last year, Greece had blocked the conclusion of an agreement with NATO, refusing to accept as such the agreement on the modalities for Turkey's participation in the decision-making process of ESDP, concluded under the auspices of the United States and Britain. According to a Spanish diplomat, settlement of the dispute with Greece is a question of weeks, the only questions remaining open in the text being that of "liturgy".
Within three weeks, the General Affairs Council should, moreover, confirm the first mission, civilian this time, of the European intervention force, in Bosnia, Josep Piqué recalled. Last Monday, the General Affairs Council gave an initial political go-ahead for the intervention of this civilian force of some 600 men, which will take over from the UN civilian force.