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Richard Norton-Taylor October 8, 1999
Washington warned the EU yesterday that Americans may no longer be prepared to carry most of the burden in future Nato military operations - but expressed concern about European plans for a body that might rival Nato. The US deputy secretary of state, Strobe Talbott, said increased security cooperation among Europeans must not be allowed to divide the alliance. Speaking at a London conference on Nato's future - at which he also insisted that the US was opposed to a Kosovo independent of Yugoslavia - Mr Talbott expressed concern about some of Brussels's plans for a European Security and Defence Identity. The US had a stake in a "strong, integrated, self-confident and military capable Europe", he said. But he added: "We do not want to see an ESDI that comes into being first within Nato but then grows out of Nato and finally grows away from Nato." Washington would be worried if the trend led to Europe acting in defence matters without consulting the US and other non-EU allies. In the strongest warning so far by a senior member of the Clinton administration about the potentially divisive issues facing Nato, Mr Talbott said differences across the Atlantic had emerged from the Kosovo war. "Many Americans are saying, never again should the United States have to fly the lion's share of the risky missions in a Nato operation and foot by far the largest bill." The Europeans, meanwhile, seemed determined "never again to feel quite so dominated by the US as they did during Kosovo". US planes flew two-thirds of the transport, refuelling and intelligence missions and most of the bombing raids against Yugoslavia during this year's Nato-led operation in Kosovo. France flew about 10% of the sorties and Britain 5%. George Robertson, the defence secretary who next week takes over as Nato's secretary general, later told the conference that the EU should plan to have the capability of deploying a corps-size force in a crisis. British officials said the force could amount to some 60,000 soldiers.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 1999
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