UK News 21-11-2000 Blair Defends Euro Army Plan who: Tony Blair what: Dismisses "Euro-army" fears where: Brussels when: Yesterday snippet: "Plans for Britain to commit 12,500 troops to a new European Union military force were confirmed last night amid growing controversy," reports The Express today. And following William Hague`s assertion that the commitment would undermine Britain`s relationship with the NATO and the United States, senior Labour Party figures have now joined the chorus of disapproval. Former foreign secretaries Lord Carrington, Lord Owen and Sir Malcolm Rifkind joined ex-Chancellor Lord Healey in an open letter denouncing the force, which will undertake missions within a 2,500 mile radius of Brussels, reports The Sun`s Trevor Kavanagh. "We urge the utmost caution in proceeding with this openly political project," warns the letter. "Nato has guaranteed our security and kept peace in Europe for more than 50 years. Creating competing military structures will without question challenge and weaken this Alliance." But Mr Blair fiercely rejected criticism of the force, emphasising that its role would be "peacekeeping and humanitarian" but not aggressive. "This is complete nonsense," he said. "There is the most exaggerated scaremongering rubbish being talked about this. The purpose of it is to make sure you have a capability in circumstances where Nato chooses not to be engaged, where the Americans don`t want to be engaged." [... more]

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