EU states pledge 66,000 troops to rapid force

EU member states yesterday pledged some 66,000 troops to an EU Rapid Reaction Force capacity but have yet to come up with the means to deliver it to a crisis situation. But both the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, and the ministerial declaration insisted that what was at stake was "not the creation of a European army". Diplomats and ministers expressed delight at the willingness of capitals to contribute manpower, ships, and fighters but warned that the EU has still much to do to create an airlift and sealift capacity that is not dependent on the US. The EU is also lagging the US in the power to disable enemy anti-aircraft systems and in satellite intelligence-gathering. Further troop commitments are expected here today from EU accession states which are NATO members, Turkey, Poland , the Czech Republic, and Hungary, with further contributions to come from the other eastern European acceding countries.

Russia and Ukraine have also indicated a willingness to participate - the Russians do have a heavy lift capacity. Such contributions are likely to push the EU's capability up to close to 100,000, said Ms Christina Galach, spokeswoman for the EU's High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Mr Javier Solana.

She said that yesterday's meeting had "done a good job on quantity, but we will now have to work on quality" and that new mechanisms would be needed to monitor progress towards meeting all aspects of the headline goal.

In setting out their commitments, states yesterday also pledged that they would sustain such levels of troops in the field, Ms Galach said. In effect, therefore, the real commitment to training troops to work together is about two and a half times the pledges. Turkey has already spoken of committing 6,000 troops and has been to the fore in negotiating arrangements for the non-EU members to be involved in EU "decision forming" and military planning on specific operations, although key decisions about whether to get involved in particular situations will be reserved to members. The Defence Ministers' Capabilities Commitment Conference yesterday morning was attended by the Minister of State for Defence, Mr Seamus Brennan, because the Minister for Defence is currently abroad with the President. Later, Foreign Ministers met their defence colleagues to ratify their decisions - the EU does not have a Defence Council.

Speaking at the earlier meeting, Mr Brennan emphasised "that the conference is doing no more than achieving the headline goal for possible use in Petersberg tasks, as set out in the appropriate provisions of the Amsterdam Treaty." But the establishment of a capability "does not imply the creation of a European army", he said, noting that "the centrality of the UN and the primary role of the UN Security Council is explicitly recognised by the EU."

"Ireland", Mr Brennan said, "will consider participation in EU-led crisis management in every instance on a case-by-case basis; and the sovereign decision on whether to participate in any one mission remains with each member state in accordance with its own national legislation or parliamentary requirements. Ireland, for its part, has made clear it will only participate in missions authorised by the UN."

Mr Brennan set out the Irish commitment of a light infantry battalion of 750, a Ranger unit, and some headquarters, national support or observer elements, a total of 850.

Speaking to journalists, Mr Brennan and Mr Cowen reiterated the emphasis on a UN mandate and said Irish involvement in operations would also be "approved by the Dail where appropriate".

Mr Cowen said the commitment of Ireland was not a pledge to contribute to any or every mission but a voluntary choice. Yesterday morning the British Conservatives said they would have nothing to do with the rapid reaction force. The party's defence spokesman, Mr Ian Duncan-Smith, said that the creation of such a force would contribute to undermining the US commitment to Europe.

The British Secretary for Defence, Mr Geoff Hoon, said that such an attitude was "extremely disappointing" given that the Conservatives had committed themselves at Amsterdam to the EU's development of a peacekeeping capacity.

Mr Solana told ministers: "We have completed a serious first step. . . we have much of what we need. . . we are committed and determined to provide the rest in time to meet our deadline."

Mr Solana said the EU needed to keep up the tempo, notably with a deal with NATO - still to be agreed after three months of talks - on the future structure of co-operation.