By Martin Banks - 11th April 2007
German defence minister Franz Jung today strongly defended US plans to expand its embryonic missile defence shield to the Czech Republic and Poland.
Speaking in the European parliament, Jung said the system was necessary to extend America’s “protective umbrella” to southern European countries.
The plan is one of the big issues pulling the US and Russia apart once more and Moscow recently said it would interpret any such move as a military threat.
The Kremlin insists that the installation of US missiles in countries close to its western border would change the strategic balance in Europe.
Moscow has warned of “negative consequences” if Prague agrees to host the missile system.
Washington, however, says it needs interceptor missiles in Europe to stop attacks by states like Iran and North Korea.
Addressing the foreign affairs committee, Jung pointed out that the US had invested $100m in a missile system covering northern and western Europe but that southern Europe did not currently enjoy similar protection.
“In my opinion, this is a big mistake,” he told the packed meeting.
He remains “optimistic” that agreement can be reached with the Russians and says the EU could have a role to play in securing this.
“Russia has been causing a bit of a fuss on this of late but I hope Moscow can be brought on board,” he added.
“The one thing we certainly don’t want is a divided Europe on this issue.”
In a wide-ranging debate, Jung clashed with MEPs in calling for cooperation between the EU and Nato to be intensified.
“It would be a mistake to suggest the EU should compete with Nato but a closer partnership is necessary,” he said.
Senior German Socialist member Klaus Hansch called on the EU to help build a "consensus" on the issue in order to avoid a potentially damaging US-Russia split.
UK Tory MEP Geoffrey van Orden rubbished his assertion, saying that European security and defence policy (ESDP) “replicated and duplicated” current Nato operations.
In the wake of Iran’s recent boast that its nuclear enrichment programme had now reached industrial scale, Jung called on the EU to “make every effort, preferably through diplomatic means” to ensure that Tehran “does not get its hands” on nuclear weapons.
“This is essential for world peace and I hope all concerned will pull together to achieve this,” he said.
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