Home>>World
Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, November 15, 2002

Germany Conditionally Supports NATO Rapid Force

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said Thursday that Germany would support the US-proposed NATO Rapid Reaction Force but attaches its endorsement with three conditions.


PRINT DISCUSSION CHINESE SEND TO FRIEND


German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said Thursday that Germany would support the US-proposed NATO Rapid Reaction Force but attaches its endorsement with three conditions.

In a policy speech delivered at the Bundestag (lower chamber ofparliament), Fischer said that the new NATO force is needed as part of the answer to "the nightmare of a major terrorist attack".

But Fischer stressed that three requirements should be fulfilled before Germany could give its full backing:

--The right to decide the deployment of the rapid force should remain in the NATO Council, which consists of political representatives of each member country and adopts decision by consensus;

--Any military action by the rapid force involving German soldiers should be approved by the Bundestag;

--The new NATO force should be compatible with the EU rapid response force and "doubling" be avoided.

The concept of a rapid force, which is made up of 20,000 soldiers of three services and can be deployed globally, will be one of major topics to be discussed at NATO's Prague summit later this month.


Questions?Comments? Click here
    Advanced








 


Jiang Zemin Wins Respect for Absence in New Party Central Committee ( 2 Messages)

'Three Represents' to Become Party's Mission Statement ( 7 Messages)

Lured by Black Gold-Oil-- under Anti-Terrorism Banner ( 116 Messages)

China Objects US Blockade of Cuba ( 3 Messages)

China's Foreign Trade Totals 500 Billion US Dollars ( 4 Messages)



Copyright by People's Daily Online, all rights reserved