15-16 March Foreign Affairs informal

Date: 20/03/1997

EVENTS in Albania overshadowed the main items on the agenda of the two-day meeting. A Dutch presidency statement had to be put on ice overnight while ministers awaited confirmation of rumours that Albanian President Sali Berisha had resigned. When he had ascertained that the reports were false, Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Hans van Mierlo agreed to send a high-level mission of civil servants to Tirana the following day - alongside representatives from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the European Commission, Italy and Greece - to determine what steps the EU should take next. The question of military intervention hung over the meeting, with Germany and the UK firmly opposed and France broadly in favour. The Dutch presidency statement indicated a “readiness” to send civilian, police and military advisers, but did not specify how many. Ministers also decided to consult in New York on the need for a United Nations Security Council resolution. While ministers stressed the need for Albanians to accept personal responsibility for rebuilding their country, they expressed a willingness to resume economic and financial assistance once stability was restored. The Commission would provide humanitarian aid as soon as conditions were secure enough to assure its delivery. Further steps would be coordinated with the OSCE and the Council of Europe.

ALMOST as high-profile was a ministerial debate on Union enlargement, with particular attention paid to its implications for Turkey. French Foreign Minister Hervé de Charette officially tabled proposals for a standing conference which would bring together heads of state or foreign affairs ministers from the EU and the applicant countries twice a year. This was welcomed by the Dutch presidency and accepted by other ministers, but the idea remained sketchy with few details agreed. Amongst the issues left undecided was that of whether Turkey should form part of this conference. Ministers, including Germany's Klaus Kinkel, were keen to play down statements made at a recent Christian Democrat conference that Turkey would never be part of the Union, but they did stress that it did not fulfil entry conditions at present.

REACTING to a letter from Turkish Foreign Minister Tansu Çiller, all but Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos decided the time was ripe to unblock EU financial assistance to the country - a measure to accompany the customs union. Van Mierlo said he hoped that ministers would agree to do so by 29 April, the date of the next EU-Turkey Association Council, but Greece maintained its veto. Ministers also asked the European Commission to propose “enhanced cooperation” with Turkey. Commission President Jacques Santer said this might include closer economic ties and more coordination against organised crime and in foreign policy. Ministers described NATO enlargement as separate but complementary to EU expansion.

Ministers expressed “great concern” at the deterioration of events in Zaïre and the plight of refugees in Kisangani. In a statement, the Dutch presidency called on all parties to the conflict “to respect the lives of both refugees and Zaïrese”, and urged “all parties involved to safeguard the humanitarian corridors that have just been opened”.