Peace can never be taken for granted, and the first responsibility of any government is security. That is why France wishes to contribute to a political structuring of the world that averts perils. It wishes to help in the exercise of shared responsibility within the framework of strong, legitimate and accepted international institutions, particularly through reforms of the United Nations and the Security Council. It is working to build a political Europe capable of meeting its international responsibilities in the service of peace.
The Atlantic alliance has a central place in this project. For 10 years France has been involved in the effort to adapt it to the new realities while preserving its original mission. That is why, at this week’s summit in Riga, I shall reaffirm the pre-eminent role of Nato, a military organisation, guarantor of the collective security of the allies, and a forum where Europeans and Americans can combine their efforts to further peace.
The threat of generalised war in Europe has disappeared; Nato has been profoundly adapted and enlarged to include the new democracies. It is building a trusting relationship with Russia, one we must constantly strengthen because preserving peace means first avoiding the creation of new fault lines. In this same spirit, we want a partnership between Nato and Ukraine, and we hope that Nato will welcome candidate states from the western Balkans once they are ready.
Lowering our guard would be to ignore the threats of terrorism, aggressive nationalism and certain states’ desires to engage in power politics in violation of their international commitments. Now, as in the past, we need a strong, mutually supportive and adapted alliance.
The first imperative of Nato is the credibility of its military assets.
The Europeans have relied on their American allies for too long. They have to shoulder their share of the burden by making a national defence effort commensurate with their ambitions for Nato and also for the European Union. This is a mark of the solidarity that links the two sides of the Atlantic. This is what France, one of the leading contributors to the alliance, is doing through its Military Estimates Act. The aim is to ensure the ongoing modernisation of its strategic force — in compliance with the principle of strict sufficiency — as well as the equipment, rapid-response capability and deployability of French conventional forces.
Adapting the alliance also means enabling it to work smoothly and on an equal footing with other international organisations whose mission, sphere of competence and means are clearly established, without needless duplication.
Adapting means providing a political framework. France welcomes in this regard the adoption of a global political directive that sets out the transformation for the next 10 to 15 years.
The same goes for operations the alliance is engaged in to further international peace and security. In Afghanistan, France has been present since 2001 and currently commands the Kabul region. To bring about the conditions for success, we must act in the framework of a comprehensive strategy, a reaffirmed political and economic process. The establishment of a contact group encompassing countries in the region, the principal countries involved and international organisations along the lines of what exists in Kosovo is necessary to give our forces the means to succeed in their mission in support of the Afghan authorities, and refocus the alliance on military operations.
Adapting means strengthening Nato’s capacity for joint action with other powers. But these expanded consultations in individual situations must not distract us from Nato’s central mission. Such dialogue must remain focused on situations that may require military intervention by the alliance and its partners. The UN must remain the sole political forum with universal authority.
Adapting, lastly, means taking into account the new reality of the EU, most of whose members belong to Nato. European defence has made greater progress since the St Malo summit than in the past 50 years. I am pleased that the Europeans are beginning to go for joint equipment such as the A400M and Tiger attack helicopter and that we are working with Britain on a joint aircraft-carrier project. There is progress in the pooling of our assets, particularly strategic transport and officer training. We must now think of giving a permanent dimension to our collective command and operations instruments through the Operations Centre set up in the EU.
This development is necessary because the EU’s involvement in peace support is growing. A stronger European defence, more effective and more certain of its assets, enhances alliance capability as a whole and contributes to global equilibrium. We are seeing European defence and Nato complementing each other to the benefit of both. Where Europe is better placed to act for geographical or historical reasons, or because of the nature of the action, the EU is taking on its share of the responsibilities as it should.
It is right that the EU should play a major role in the western Balkans, to which it has offered the prospect of membership. The EU also took over from Nato in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. In Kosovo, it is preparing — as an initial step — to send a police mission that will constitute a key component in the international presence at a critical period, when the future of the province is at stake. In Lebanon, the Europeans, at the UN’s request, are the backbone of the new UN Interim Force in Lebanon.
This development calls for a more substantive political and strategic dialogue between the US and the EU following on from the February 2005 Brussels summit. It probably also implies closer relations between Nato and the EU. France is naturally ready for this but wishes the EU’s voice to be heard within the alliance. That implies, in particular, the possibility of EU members consulting between themselves within the alliance. Such a development will contribute to an ever-stronger and mutually supportive alliance in which North American and European allies will be able to formulate their objectives together and continue to work, side by side, for international peace and security in accordance with the principles and objectives of the UN charter. — Â