Sens. Jesse Helms, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Gordon Smith, head of the Senate's European Affairs sub-committee, warned in a letter to The Telegraph that key entities within the European Union want to use the separate military force as a means "to check American power and influence within NATO."
Although not directly named, it is believed they were referring to France.
The European Union force is envisaged in the EU's European Security and Defense Police Initiative. It would be totally separate from NATO.
"Among ESDP's most enthusiastic supporters is Russian President Vladimir Putin - who openly advocates NATO's abolition," they wrote. "We must not allow ESDP to accomplish what the Soviet Union failed to achieve: the division of Europe and the United States."
(C) 2000 UPI All Rights Reserved.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.