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| Europe |
| EU soldiers begin first operation in Macedonia |
| 2003-04-01 |
| The European Union entered a new era yesterday when it launched its first military operation, taking over peacekeeping duties in Macedonia from Nato. The force – which comprises 320 soldiers – will provide a crucial test of the EU's long-standing ambitions to play a bigger role in the Balkans and the wider world. What color helmets do they wear? At a ceremony in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy representative and Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, Nato's secretary general, hailed the move as a breakthrough, as they handed control to French Brigadier-General Pierre Maral. Wonder how long before a French officer leaks information to one of the militas fighting in Macedonia? Lord Robertson said: "A new chapter in European security has opened. By taking on its first military mission, the EU is demonstrating that its project of a European security and defence policy has come of age." That message was echoed in London by Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, who said Europe's security and defence policy "comes of age" with the launch of the operation. One objective is to test whether the European force would be able to assume the much bigger and more complex peacekeeping role in Bosnia — where 13,000 Nato troops are stationed — next year. The EU is hoping to take charge in Bosnia towards the middle of 2004, if the Macedonia operation goes well. Its embryonic military machine knows it must win hearts and minds in Macedonia, because the EU's image in the Balkans is shaped by the memory of the West's failure to intervene speedily to stop the carnage in the Balkan wars of the 1990s. Ask the Dutch about that. Plans to set up the EU's first military mission were deadlocked for months over an argument about how much it should be linked with Nato. That row was resolved last December and the EU has used the alliance's planning capabilities and will rely on Nato soldiers should the situation there deteriorate. Meanwhile, the overall mission commander is General Rainer Feist, a German who is deputy commander of Nato forces in Europe. Question isn't whether it's an EU or NATO led mission. Question is whether, if people start shooting, the Euro leaders will allow their troops to shoot back. Past performance isn't encouraging. Macedonia ought to prove a manageable task: its six-month ethnic war ended in 2001 and a multi-ethnic government is now in place. EU troops will operate in small units spread out across the country, with 22 lightly armed and eight heavily armed teams patrolling in armoured vehicles and helicopters. Yesterday's deployment also comes amid speculation that France and Germany will try to forge a "hard core" of EU countries to co-operate on European defence issues — excluding the UK. Belgium is to host a meeting with France, Germany and Luxembourg on the issue at the end of next month. We're going to need a scorecard to know all the military defense groups in Europe. Britain will hope that the start of concrete military operations in Macedonia will outweigh any Franco-German desire to marginalise the UK, which is the EU's biggest military power. "European defence without Britain is like economic and monetary union without Germany," one EU diplomat said. My money's on the Brits. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #8 I think they're clear plastic so that the look invisible. Like the force will be if any shit hits the fan. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-04-01 12:47:26 |
| #7 What color helmets? Pink with a yellow stripe, of course. |
| Posted by: Celissa 2003-04-01 12:30:31 |
| #6 The blue helmets OK but the stars orbit in front of their eyes. |
| Posted by: john 2003-04-01 12:04:36 |
| #5 Twelve Golden Mullets? I don' see no feesh, Lucy... |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-04-01 12:00:12 |
| #4 A helmet color scheme like Bulldog describes sounds more like a sighting-in target than a melon protector. Even if the EU gets good, well-disciplined troops im Macedonia, some instant hostilities would require a committee of EU-niks to sort it out before issuing orders for the correct response. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-04-01 10:42:31 |
| #3 Poor Macedonians. Thank God the EU isn't protecting us. |
| Posted by: Spot 2003-04-01 07:48:56 |
| #2 bulldog, that comment oughta come with a coffee alert. that cracked me up! |
| Posted by: anon1 2003-04-01 06:32:04 |
| #1 What color helmets will they wear? I expect the design will be based on the EU flag - blue background with a circle of twelve gold five-pointed stars, or, apparently, "on a field azure a circle of twelve mullets or, their points not touching" (I'm kidding ye not, but this website might be). For clarification purposes, I would expect the stars to be enlarged and held proud of the helmet, perhaps attached to springs, perhaps in the form of a halo, perhaps orbiting the head at eye level. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-04-01 02:59:04 |