Chirac says E.U. military force must be independent of NATO

"Nobody in the European Union (E.U.) contests the Atlantic Alliance. E.U. defence must be coordinated with NATO but planning and operations must be independent ...," said Chirac at a news conference at the E.U. summit in Nice. Chirac said there was no reason to be worried about the new European security identity.

"This is the best way to reinforce the Atlantic Alliance," he added. U.S. Defence Secretary William Cohen earlier this week warned that E.U. plans for an independent 60,000-strong Rapid Reaction Force risked making NATO a "relic of the past." The E.U. plans to have the force operational by 2003

(dpa)