Paris, 18/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - On 19 June, the Assembly of the Western European Union will be commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Petersberg Declaration at its headquarters in Paris. Petersberg is the location near Bonn where, on 19 June 1992, the WEU Council decided to entrust the Western European Union with the "Petersberg missions", that is, humanitarian missions, peace-keeping and crisis management, including peacemaking. The missions had been included in the Amsterdam Treaty in 1997, recalls an Assembly press release, which notes that the ESDP in its current form "does not allow EU member states to play a full role in international affairs following the events of 11 September".
During this commemorative event, Assembly President Klaus Bühler is to give a speech in which he will ask to include the fight against terrorism in the Petersberg missions, as was requested, moreover, by the Assembly at its last session with the adoption of the Wilkinson Report (see EUROPE of 5 June, p.5). The Spanish EU Council Presidency is in favour of inclusion.