Berlin, 04/04/2003 (Agence Europe) - In an speech on international politics at the Bundestag on Thursday, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder pleaded in favour of a "European Union of Security and Defence", from which "nobody can and should be excluded". The more Member States who get involved in progressing this policy, the better, he said, insisting: "to me, it is particularly important that the United Kingdom, which has done so much in the past to push forward the European Security and Defence policy, be closely involved in this process". "We are hoping for close co-operation in terms of developing our military potential, planning and decision-making structures, and our arms industry", said the Chancellor, noting that a specific experiment could be sending European Blue Helmets on UN peace-keeping missions. More generally, Mr Schröder spoke of learning lessons from the Iraqi crisis, and, whilst recognising that the road towards Europe really having its voice heard in the world would be a long one and not without pitfalls, said: "but that does not change the fact that there is no serious alternative to this common policy".
In an interview with the Handelsblatt, Foreign Affairs Minister Joschka Fischer said that if the Convention fails to launch a "European Union of Security and Defence", "then, if necessary, a group of countries will have to take the lead, outside of Treaties", as in the Schengen agreements. Then, "this could be brought within the Treaties", he indicated, recalling a fundamental EU rule: "nobody has to want to, but those who do want to, have to be able to".