Tony Blair calls for 'European derense identity'.
"In a series of recent speeches and articles, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has pushed the long-debated issue of a 'European defense identity' to the fore, urging Europeans to create the means to do more for their own security without undermining the Atlantic alliance" ("Europe Seeks Own Credible Military Role" ©1998 Reuters).
Citing the recent crises in Iraq and Kosovo, European foreign defense ministers discussed the need to create a European defense structure at their meeting in mid November. Such a structure will not be easy to put together, given the complex relationship between the European Union, the Western European Union and NATO. ( Reuters, ©1998)
