British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on November 25 that the Anglo-French summit held in London had opened a "new era" in the two countries' military relations.

He said that British and French governments were keen for the rest of Europe to back their plans for a rapid reaction force, which could intervene speedily in local conflicts in Europe, such as that in Kosovo.

The move was an attempt to strengthen what he called "military effectiveness," Blair said.

During the meeting on Thursday, Blair and French President Jacques Chirac and his Prime Minister Lionel Jospin focused on closer military coordination, putting aside their long-running row over British beef exports,

Both Britain and France strongly denied that strengthening Europe's defense capabilities will undermine NATO, although there are quite wide spread fears here that the United Sates would not be happy to see the creation of a European Force coexistence with NATO.

"It is not about creating a single European army, it is not about attempting to supplant or compete with NATO," Blair stressed.

Blair said he hoped the rest of the European Union would back the proposals at next month's summit in Helsinki.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon insisted that the United States government supported closer European integration on defense.

"US policy supports the development of a European security and defense identity," Hoon said.

"What we are working for is a more effective European contribution to NATO. We learned in Kosovo of the inability of European nations to get sufficient forces into the field sufficiently and quickly," He said.

A spokesman for Blair said the defense negotiations were a"big step forward, moving from principles to practical steps, and all done within the context of NATO".

Britain, which sees itself as a bridge between Europe and the United States, has worked hard to play down fears in Washington that Europe's efforts to produce a more coordinated and efficient military identity could undermine NATO. (Xinhua)