Swedes to press for hotline between EU force and UN

Date: 08/02/01

By Simon Taylor

STOCKHOLM is planning to set up a permanent hotline with the United Nations as part of moves to put the EU's planned rapid reaction force at the UN's disposal for peacekeeping duties.

Sweden's ambassador to the UN Pierre Schori told European Voice that the Union wants top-level cooperation with the multinational body so that its force can make a bigger contribution to global peacekeeping. "We are setting up a high-level mechanism for the EU and the UN to exchange information," Schori said.

The ambassador believes that using the Union's force for peacekeeping operations will help improve relations between the EU and developing countries in the UN.

"Developing countries criticise the North for not contributing to peace-keeping efforts," he said. "But Sweden's foreign minister Anna Lindh recently told [UN secretary-general] Kofi Annan that the force could be used outside Europe under a UN mandate. This will bridge the gap between the North and South."

Swedish officials say the new structure would link the UN's under-secretary-general for peacekeeping, Frenchman Jean-Marie Guehenno, with either EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana or the head of the Union's political and security committee, which is responsible for launching crisis management operations.

Stockholm is eager to set up the new mechanism even before the Union force's planning structure becomes operational, which is expected to happen this year. The two bodies are seeking to answer concerns about the fundamental principles of peace-keeping before launching the EU's crisis management squad.

Schori said that making the reaction force available for UN missions is part of the Swedish presidency's efforts to improve the coherence of Union countries in the multinational body. "The EU's common foreign and security policy is not yet working perfectly but here at the UN it is working even better than in the EU," he said.

He added that member states are coordinating their positions much more effectively than they have in the past. As a result, the EU presidency has been able to speak on behalf of all 15 countries on subjects ranging from Kosovo and Sierra Leone to action to fight the spread of HIV. The Union's effectiveness in the UN has previously been undermined by division among member states on sensitive issues.

Schori said that although the EU had not been able to reach a united stance on Israel and the Middle East peace process member states had agreed common lines in 18 other votes.

Stockholm is planning to set up a permanent hotline with the United Nations as part of moves to put the EU's planned rapid reaction force at the UN's disposal for peacekeeping duties.