Thatcher weighs in with generals to slam E.U. military force

The attack from the former Conservative Party leader, who resigned 10 years ago to the day, was published as a string of retired senior military men condemned the Rapid Reaction Force as undermining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and creating suspicion in the United States.

"The government's plans to create a new European army make no military sense at all - none to Britain, whose forces are already overstretched, none to Europe, which has even less chance of becoming a military power than of creating a sound currency, and none to NATO, which this proposal threatens to divide and destroy," Thatcher wrote.

"It is a piece of monumental folly that puts our security at risk in order to satisfy political vanity," she added in a personal attack on Labour Party leader Blair.

Thatcher is known for her scepticism on the European Union and has even been reported recently to favour withdrawal entirely if the E.U. moves towards greater coordination on key economic policies that would reduce the power of the British parliament.

British commentators opposed to the pooling of European forces believe France is the driving force behind moves towards a full-scale E.U. army that would supplant NATO.

Blair launched a counter-attack in the British press on Wednesday, accusing some newspapers of dishonesty in their reporting on the force. "What appeared yesterday on European defence in some parts of our media, including the Sun, frankly bordered on the absurd," Blair said, insisting there was no proposal for a European standing army.

Britain is to commit 12,500 British ground troops, 18 warships and 72 combat aircraft to the Rapid Reaction Force that was formally announced in Brussels on Monday.

(la/dpa)