London, 25/11/2003 (Agence Europe) - After their summit on 25 November in London, Jacques Chirac and Tony Blair affirmed in a joint statement that the EU must be able to have forces that it can deploy in an autonomous operation within 15 days in response to a crisis ("in Africa or elsewhere"), and in response to a request by the United Nations to stabilise a situation or meet short term needs until the arrival or reinforcement of UN peace-keeping troops. "The aim should be coherent, credible battle group-sized forces - each around 1,500 troops - offered by a single nation" of the EU or "through a multinational or framework nation force package with appropriate transport and sustainability". Tony Blair commented: "It makes to me complete sense, in circumstances where NATO is not engaged, for Europe to have the capability and the power to act in the interests of Europe and the wider world". Jacques Chirac, for his part, assured that "France does not have a problem with NATO. (…) Neither the Germans nor the French wish in the slightest way to take any initiative which will be in contradiction with NATO, which as the prime minister has said, is the mainstay of European defence".