Blair offers Putin Euro defence assurances

MOSCOW, Russia -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has ended a brief visit to Moscow after persuading Russian President Vladimir Putin that a common European defence policy poses no threat to Moscow.

But Putin also called for transparency as Europe presses ahead with its defence policies.

On Monday, European Union defence ministers pledged troops, ships and planes to a rapid reaction force as a first step in building the EU's military power.

After meeting Blair on Tuesday, Putin said: "These processes are developing in Europe regardless of whether Russia wants it or not."

"It is not our intention to block these processes or to encourage them."

ALSO Blair: Moscow's link to the West

Blair was in Russia for a day of talks during which he also sought to calm Russian objections to a U.S. plan for a strategic missile defence system.

Before the talks, the pair's fifth meeting this year, Blair praised Putin as an intelligent and strong leader on the right reform track.

"I do personally like him," Blair said. "It is necessary to be a strong leader to sort out his country."

Afterwards Putin said Blair had explained that European defence policy was aimed at enhancing stability on the continent and beyond.

Putin added Russia shared the principles behind the strategy and that transparency would be important.

Monday's draft communique from EU defence and foreign ministers said more than 100,000 troops, some 400 aircraft and 100 ships would be available to respond to crises such as the evacuation of EU nationals to peace enforcement by heavily armed combat troops.

The communique said the "force catalogue" confirmed that the 15-member Union would meet its 2003 goal of being able to call on up to 60,000 troops within 60 days at any one time for missions lasting up to 12 months.

"It remains essential to the credibility and the effectiveness of the European security and defence policy that the EU is in a position to intervene with or without recourse to NATO assets," the communique stated.

Both Britain and Germany went out of their way to stress that the force would be no substitute for NATO and would not weaken the Atlantic alliance. They said the scale of last year's Kosovo intervention was now imaginable without NATO.

"We must not allow the slightest breath of suspicion to arise that we want to quit NATO," German Defence Minister Rudolf Scharping warned. Europe's collective defence remained "the business of NATO alone."

British Chief of Staff General Sir Charles Guthrie said it would make NATO stronger, not weaker.

Reuters contributed to this report.

EU pledges 'rapid' force troops
November 21, 2000
European force 'no threat' to NATO
November 20, 2000

British Government
Russian Government
European Union
NATO

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