By DPA,
London: Britain and France Tuesday announced a new era of “unprecedented” defence cooperation that would see the establishment of a joint expeditionary force and the shared use of nuclear testing facilities.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy put their signatures to two far-reaching treaties at a meeting in London, which they insisted would save costs while enhancing their capabilities, jointly and as individual sovereign nations.
Both leaders were keen to stress that the new pacts would not impact in any negative way on other European Union nations or the NATO defence alliance.
“This is not about a European army, or a shared nuclear deterrence,” said Cameron. “Britain and France will remain sovereign nations.”
Sarkozy said that Britain and France were pooling resources because they realised that “new ideas” were needed to tackle the problems of the 21st century. “Sovereignty does not mean isolation,” said Sarkozy.
Both men hoped that the increased cooperation would have a profound impact on cutting defence costs – which were among the highest in the EU.
Under the general cooperation treaty, Britain and France will aim to set up a joint expeditionary force expected to involve about 5,000 soldiers from each side.
The two countries would also share the use of aircraft carriers for training purposes – and possibly for joint operations. However, both nations would retain a veto on their participation in any joint operation.
The nuclear treaty is aimed at establishing a centre in Britain to develop testing technology, and another in France to carry out the simulated testing.
Cameron described the planned cooperation in nuclear defence as “bold, big and radical”. But he stressed that both nations were determined to keep their independent nuclear deterrents.
The far-reaching agreements have been billed as “historic” in France, whereas the British government has sought to stress their “practical value” at times of fiscal belt-tightening.