US secretary of Defence William Cohen has warned EU governments against creating a rival military planning capability to NATO

Date: 12/10/00

Speaking at an informal meeting of NATO defence ministers this week, Cohen said the US welcomed the Union's efforts to boost its own military capabilities, but insisted the defence planning processes of NATO and the EU should be combined to involve the full membership of both bodies. "What we do not want to see is a separate planning bureaucracy established," he said. His remarks reflect US sympathy for concerns voiced by Turkey, which is a NATO member but not yet part of the Union, that it is being excluded from the EU's new defence body.