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Chirac, Blair Discuss Integration, Defense of Europe
French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair Friday discussed the future of European integration and the building of an autonomous European defense force.
After a meeting between Chirac and Blair in Cahors, southwest France, French officials told the press that the two leaders expressed different visions on the future of European integration.
Chirac said the European Union (EU) will evolve toward a kind of federation of states of Europe, while Blair expressed his skepticism over further integration of Europe.
Blair feared that a federal-style Europe can lead to loss of identity of different European nations. But Chirac said he believed that European nations would benefit from working together while keeping their own identity.
At the meeting, Chirac and Blair agreed that an autonomous European defense force would reinforce NATO rather than weakening it.
However, at a security conference held last week in Munich, Germany, the United States opposed the EU's plan to build a 6,000- men rapid reaction force by 2003. The plan was agreed to by EU countries at their summit meeting in Nice last December.
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