Observatory on European defence, October 2004

11 October 2004 
General Affairs and External Relations Council - Terrorism, Missions Althea and Proxima, Darfur, Armaments Export in Libya and China
The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council discussed several issues: counter-terrorism measures, the ESDP missions and arms export. Concerning the fight against international terrorism, adoption of the measures decided in the previous months seems to be proceeding with some difficulty.
Therefore the Council urged the member States to implement the Action Plan adopted in June, promoting the European arrest warrant and the establishment of joint investigation teams (the first was established on 9 September 2004 by France and Spain). 
The Council discussed the state of current and future ESDP missions. 
In particular, it adopted the operation plan (OPLAN) of the military mission Althea in Bosnia Herzegovina , the political control and strategic direction of which is scheduled to be taken over by the EU on 2 December 2004. 
The formal decision to launch Althea is to be adopted subsequently by the Council. 
On 25 October, NATO declared that it wants to keep a small contingent of troops (including a Headquarters) in Bosnia Herzegovina after the EU’s takeover of SFOR command. 
Moreover, it decided to extend the mandate of the police mission Proxima in Macedonia (FYROM)   - which would have expired on 15 December 2004 - for a further 12 months. The EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs should adopt the formal decision on extension in November. 
A new commitment could be the Darfur region of Sudan. The Council confirmed the threat of sanctions (based on UNSC Resolutions no. 1556 and 1564), as well as its support (also economic) to the African Union (AU) peace mission under way. 
On 23 October, the European Union communicated that it will cover half of the costs of the AU mission, reaching an overall amount of European aid for 2004 of over 300 million euros. In the deployed phase, the observer mission will include a total of 600 military observers, a protection force of 1,100 African men and 800 policemen and will ensure enforcement of the rules and agreements signed, as well as create the security conditions needed for the transfer of aid. 
Moreover, two cases related to armaments export were brought to the attention of the Council. In the process of normalizing relations with Libya, the EU decided to lift its embargo on arms export (disciplined by the EU Code of Conduct). Italy particularly pushed for this outcome which could favour the local authorities’ commitment in the fight against clandestine migration. 
The Council also discussed, but without reaching an agreement, the lifting of the arms sales embargo on China established in 1989. 
France is pushing for this; it is supported by Italy and Germany and opposed by Denmark and the Netherlands (besides the United States), as well as the European Parliament (EP). Indeed, the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted a report which calls for the EU Code of Conduct on arms export to become binding and supports the adoption of a common monitoring system at EU level and the establishment of a European arms export control agency.

13-14 October 2004 
NATO - NRF, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo
The agenda of the informal meeting of the NATO Defence Ministers was particularly full. 
First of all, they discussed the state of advancement of the European capabilities. In particular, the Initial Operational Capability (17,500 men, 24,000 by 2006) of the NATO Response Force (NRF), the Alliance’s rapid intervention force, was declared and its compatibility with EU initiatives such as “battle groups” was confirmed. 
Moreover, NATO inaugurated a new system of communications (Communications and Information System, CIS) extending to all members; the exchange of classified information still presents some problems of access by the only two members of the EU that are not members of the Atlantic Alliance (Malta and Cyprus). 
Ministers also discussed the situation in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo. The NATO committed itself to expanding the training mission in Iraq. The initial undertaking decided on 22 September by the Atlantic Council (NAC) was for 200-300 trainers. On 29 October, the SACEUR declared that the first level of the mission foresees 350 NATO personnel (60% trainers and 40% protection forces), aimed at training 1,000 Iraqi officers per year. Approval of the OPLAN (finalized by SHAPE on 25 October) by the Military Committee is foreseen for 3 November. Moreover, NATO Defence Ministers discussed expansion of the NATO ISAF mission in Afghanistan and the strengthening of the troop contingent in view of the presidential elections of 9 October, which were regularly held. 
The integration of the command structures of the NATO ISAF stabilization mission and the US-led “Enduring Freedom” anti-terrorism mission, promoted by the United States but opposed by France and Germany, was considered (on 30 September the mandate of the German troops, the most numerous ISAF contingent, was extended for another year). 
In early October, NATO also strengthened its troops in Kosovo in view of the political elections of 23 October, regularly carried out but without the participation of the Serbian minority.

20 October 2004 
European Commission - International Terrorism
On 20 October the European Commission presented some Communications related to the fight against terrorism, subsequently discussed by the Justice and Home Affairs Council of 25 October, in view of formal approval by the European Council of 17 November. 
In particular, proposed initiatives concern: 

• the fight against terrorist financing 
• critical protection of infrastructure 
• establishment of a system of central warning within the Commission.

October 2004 
Europe - Non Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction: Iran, Syria
The month of October saw an intensification of the actions of the EU and its members aimed at countering the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their delivery means. 
Attention focused particularly on the Iranian nuclear programme and on agreements with Syria. 
On 19 October, the European Commission and Syria officially concluded negotiations related to the Association Agreement (the signature of which is foreseen for November), after Damascus accepted a clause which commits it to not producing or transferring WMD. 
For its part, the United States imposed a commercial embargo on the country, considered a proliferating country and a threat to security.
The European diplomatic approach was also employed towards Iran; on 11 October, the Dutch Presidency affirmed that it wants to favour a policy of incentives on the condition that the uranium enrichment programme be suspended. 
The United States, instead, would like to submit the case of Iran to the United Nations Security Council via the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as a first step towards sanctions. 
On 21 October, the so-called EU-3 (France, Germany and the United Kingdom) proposed providing Iran with nuclear civilian technology in exchange for cessation of the uranium enrichment programme, prospecting adoption of a line similar to that of the United States in case of refusal. 
The answer, received on 25 October, although interlocutory, remains substantially negative. Moreover, on 6 October Iran communicated that it has developed a ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 km, therefore able to reach European territories also with non conventional warheads. 
On 25 November the IAEA will present a report on Iran.