Nato urged to challenge European defence plan By Judy Dempsey in Brussels
The US has called an emergency Nato meeting to challenge the creation of a stronger security and defence policy for the European Union.
The call by Nicholas Burns, US ambassador to Nato, reflects growing unease among Pentagon officials over the way Britain wants to work more closely with its EU allies in building credible defence structures and better military capabilities. But it also highlights tensions in the transatlantic alliance, with the US seeing any future EU defence policy as a potential competitor to Nato.
The US move came as EU leaders met last night to discuss how to make European defence more effective in any new constitutional treaty. The draft treaty is being negotiated in the intergovernment conference that includes the 15 current member and 10 candidate states that join next year.
British, French and German officials on Thursday said it was too early to make any decisions over defence issues. "This is only the beginning. We need a more coherent defence policy that will complement Nato," said one British official.
Nevertheless, the Pentagon and the White House are particularly concerned over how Tony Blair, UK prime minister, wants to co-operate over defence with Germany and France, which opposed the US-led attack on Iraq.
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