Oslo offers troops for crisis force

Date: 20/04/2000

By Simon Taylor

NORWAY has offered to contribute 3,500 troops to the EU's fledgling crisis management force.

The proposal comes as NATO member Oslo is campaigning hard for the right to be closely involved in the new decision-making bodies being set up by the Union to manage its security and defence policy.

As one of the six non-EU NATO countries eager to participate fully in any Union-led military operations, Norway has voiced concerns that it would lose influence in the exclusively EU structures being set up as part of the Common European Security and Defence Policy (CESDP).

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg confirmed the offer of troops at a meeting late last week with Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

Foreign Minister Thorbjoern Jagland stressed that NATO members should not be excluded from decision-making in crises.

Solana tried to allay these fears, saying: "The EU hopes to find mechanisms where countries like Norway, which are part of NATO but not a part of the Union, can feel comfortable."

However, officials acknowledge that addressing the concerns of NATO countries outside the EU is proving one of the most difficult challenges in the Union's bid to create an independent military force.

Turkey, another NATO member, has already asked to be involved in discussions on the new committees' structure and has pledged to make a contribution to the EU's efforts to meet its goal of creating a 60,000-strong rapid-reaction force to deal with crisis situations.

But the Union insists that countries outside the bloc cannot expect to have the same rights as member states. Diplomats say one possible solution could be to follow the example of the Schengen free-movement zone, where non-EU countries such as Norway sit on certain committees when issues affecting them are being discussed.

Norway has offered to contribute 3,500 troops to the EU's fledgling crisis management force.