Bonn says it will ignore Commission decision on BSE

GERMANY said yesterday it would ignore the decision by the EU Commission to lift the export ban on British beef products until it was satisfied that sufficient measures were in place to protect consumers from food infected by

The announcement came as the Chancellor, Dr Helmut Kohl, and President Jacques Chirac met in Dijon amid signs that the beef crisis is strengthening ties between Bonn and Paris.

The Federal Health Minister, Mr Horst Seehofer, said the ban on British gelatine, tallow and bull semen will remain in force in Germany at least until September, regardless of the Commission's ruling.

In an uncompromising statement following discussions between British and German Foreign, Health and Agriculture Ministers in Bonn yesterday, the German Foreign Ministry said it was not convinced that British steps to eradicate the disease were adequate.

Germany would resist any relaxation of the beef ban until" there was scientific proof that consumers would not be put at risk.

But the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Malcolm Rilkind, said he expected Bonn, to, obey the Commission and lift its ban on beef products within the next few weeks because failure to do so would be illegal.

The British ministers requested yesterday's meeting, at which they outlined the steps London was taking to eradicate BSE and to make sure that no infected meat entered the food chain.

Mr Rifkind said that Britain had already compromised by abandoning it5 demand for an immediate lifting of the ban in favour of a framework of measures to the same end. He said he was confident that a framework would be agreed in time for the EU summit in Florence at the end of this month and that Britain's scientific evidence could persuade Europe's consumers that beef was now safe.

Although German ministers yesterday condemned Britain's policy of obstructing EU business there are signs that the beef crisis is having a fortuitous side effect for Germany by reinforcing the crucial relationship between Bonn and Paris.

Political observers say that Britain's self imposed isolation within the EU has made Paris abandon any ideas of diversifying its relationships in Europe and driven it further into the arms of the Germans.

One sign of this came yesterday when Dr Kohl and Mr Chirac announced that they were extending their summit, for an extra day to work out a joint approach to the Florence summit.

Yesterdays meetings sought to hammer out major differences between the two countries on defence, prompted by radical reforms planned by the French.

Bonn is worried by Mr Chirac's decision to abolish conscription, and to transform the French army into a small, long range intervention force, leaving Germany to bear most of Europe's conventional defence burden.

France also wants to reduce its order of jointly produced weapons systems, increasing Germany's share of the cost. Amid all this cost cutting, Paris is determined to press ahead with Franco German spy satellites to end Europe's dependence on the US for military intelligence.

The German Defence Ministry has been sceptical about the need for the satellite, arguing that its value is more political than strategic. The two sides agreed yesterday to postpone a decision on the weapons issue but Bonn said it was now prepared to agree a joint defence policy which would include building the satellite.

Mr Chirac and Dr Kohl will continue their negotiations in Paris today, concentrating on EU business in advance of the Florence summit. The two men have agreed to meet every six weeks to co-ordinate policies and formulate joint strategies.

. In London, the chairman of the Conservative Party, Dr Brian Mawhinney, said there was no question of abandoning the policy of non co-operation with the EU. "That policy remains in place until the circumstances which relate to it and which he [Mr John Major] set out so clearly in the House of Commons have been, constructively addressed", he said.