OTTAWA -- Canada and the European Union are near a deal for Canadian soldiers to take part in any future EU-led peacekeeping missions to police trouble spots where the United States may not want to go.
"I don't expect to see any particularly big problems that would be insurmountable," a Canadian official said yesterday.
"We are very close to an agreement."
The matter is expected to be discussed next week when Prime Minister Jean Chrétien attends a Canada-EU summit meeting in Spain.
Under the proposal, Canadian soldiers would serve under European commanders in traditional peacekeeping roles: monitoring ceasefires, guaranteeing the security of civilian populations and helping rebuild war-ravaged regions. Canadian, European and U.S. personnel fill such a role in the Balkans, but U.S. President George W. Bush has said he prefers that his country not take on any more such assignments.
Defence Minister Art Eggleton said yesterday that there are good intentions all around for a Canada-EU agreement. But he said further talks are needed.
"We're getting caught in the middle here, between Europe and the United States," Mr. Eggleton said. Canadian officials caution that technical issues are not likely to be ironed out before the summit begins on Wednesday.
For example, negotiators must figure out how any EU military operation would fit with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a 52-year-old alliance requiring Canada and the United States to help defend 17 European countries.
Under the new arrangement, NATO, which is led by the United States, would remain the key police officer in European security, but the EU force would be used in areas where NATO might not wish to go.
As a traditional peacekeeping country, Canada wants to keep its hand in European operations, if and when NATO puts less emphasis on the area.
Mr. Eggleton has raised alarms in the past that Canada must have a strategic role in the force to ensure that it is not drawn into unwanted conflicts on European soil.
As members of NATO, Canada and the United States must assist any European member of the alliance that is attacked. Canadian officials have been concerned that joining the new European force could draw Canada into an unwanted conflict.
A Canadian official said that before Canada can join with Europeans in peacekeeping missions, a major problem must be resolved within NATO: the traditional rivalry between Greece and Turkey. Both are NATO members, but Turkey does not belong to the EU and does not want NATO military assets to be used by the EU, the official explained.
The EU force is just one of a number of matters Mr. Chrétien intends to raise on his week-long European trip.
The trip is to include the summit and meetings with leaders of Spain, Italy, Britain and possibly France.
One of his key priorities will be to build the agenda for the meeting of the Group of Eight developed countries, to be held in Kananaskis, Alta., next month.
Mr. Chrétien intends to discuss a foreign-aid program called the New Partnership for African Development, which is aimed at pushing countries to adopt democratic changes in exchange for increased funds from developed countries. The program will be a key agenda item in Kananaskis.
Mr. Chrétien also plans to discuss co-operation with Europe in fighting terrorism.
That includes items like biometric identification techniques and illegal migration.
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