Brussels, 22/01/2004 (Agence Europe) - The first meeting of the year of the NATO Permanent Council (NAC) and the EU's Political and Security Committee (COPS) was, according to the three joint presidents Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Javier Solana and Declain Kelleher (the latter representing the Irish Presidency), "constructive" and "very useful" and was held in a "very good atmosphere" which augured well for this very important strategic partnership. They all said they should persevere with their close cooperation and build on it. All three also stressed the importance of interaction between the major institutions - EU, NATO, UN, OSCE - for stability and security, mainly in the Balkans and in Afghanistan.
Speaking at a press meeting, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said they had initiated exploratory contacts between NATO and the EU on the possible EU command takeover of SFOR this year. In response to a question put to him, he said it is more likely to be "at the end of the year". As talks are only beginning, he added, it is not possible to foresee a precise date for transferring power in Bosnia-Herzegovina as it is a "complex operation" requiring detailed planning, and it will also be necessary to decide what kind of NATO presence will be maintained after command has been transferred. "We are preparing for post SFOR" and the "EU is ready" to make this important step forward, CFSP High Representative Javier Solana said for his part. In this process, commented Ambassador Kelleher, "transparency and complementarity are the words". "We are not two conflicting organisations but rather complementary", Mr de Hoop Scheffer added.
NATO and the European Union have still to come to a decision on exchanging liaison officers' teams, a team with the European Planning Cell (to be established at the Cortenberg building in Brussels near the European institutions), and European military representation in SHAPE. Mr Solana recalled that the latest European Council (12 and 13 December 2003) had entrusted him with the task of setting up an independent European planning unity, capable of planning possible autonomous operations, and establishing relations with SHAPE. "I have not yet put any proposals forward", he told the press, adding that it will be necessary to finalise this process at the end of 2004. He noted that there is still time and that they must proceed "carefully".