Cowen urges NATO dialogue on Balkans

A closer dialogue between NATO and non-NATO contributors to Balkan peacekeeping operations was called for by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, yesterday. He was attending a meeting in Florence of NATO member-states and members of Partnership For Peace.

Ireland was being represented for the first time at a ministerial-level meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC), the consultative forum for NATO and PfP. Ireland joined PfP six months ago.

The meeting was marked by the return of Russia to the partnership council meetings. It had been boycotting them following NATO-led actions over Kosovo and the admission of Croatia to PfP, another sign of the Balkan country's new political acceptability.

Mr Cowen said Ireland valued the council and PfP as ingredients in the post-Cold War security framework, "complementing the work of other organisations active in the field of peace and security, chief among which is the UN". He welcomed the council's role in conflict prevention, action against mines and the control of the small arms trade.

Mr Cowen's call for more co-ordination between NATO and other troop-contributing countries echoed more specific demands from fellow neutrals, Sweden and Austria, for a greater role for EU members of PfP in NATO's structures.

Mr Sven-Olaf Petersson, Sweden's political director, reminded the meeting that "talks are about to take place on the EU-NATO relationship. An evident point of departure should be the participation of all EU member-states on the same basis, also with respect to the use of and participation in NATO structures."

He said their Kosovan experience had also shown the need to review the current procedures for consultation. "Troops from NATO and partner countries share the responsibility for a successful operation and their personnel faces the same risks," Mr Petersson said.

"Accordingly, even though we do not question NATO's decision-making authority, partners need to be consulted on matters relevant for the conduct of an effective operation and for the security of the troops."

Austria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Benita Ferrero-Waldner, said she also believed "ongoing European developments provide an important argument in favour of an adequate military representation of countries like Austria in NATO's relevant operational planning structures."