Joint press point

with NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Mr. Javier Solana

De Hoop Scheffer: Thank you very much. A pleasure to have Javier Solana here again in the framework, of course, of I think what was a very good meeting we had between the North Atlantic Council and the Political and Security Committee on Bosnia Herzegovina where the relations between NATO and the EU on the ground, as you know, are excellent; where we had an exchange of views on the present situation where defence reform, as far as NATO is concerned, could go at a faster pace. But you know the political situation in BiH as it is, but I think from the NATO perspective, more efforts could be made and should be made as far as certain elements of defence reform are concerned.

Then as you know, we finished the NAC-PSC meeting. We had an informal exchange of views on Kosovo which was extremely useful, because as you know NATO KFOR is playing an important role as we speak. So does UNMIK. The European Union after a possible status settlement will have a very important role to play. We have excellent staff to staff Contacts between NATO and the European Union. Javier Solana and I are in regular touch on the issue because the word seamless is right I think here.

At the end of the day - but we are not at the end of the day yet as we all know - at the end of the day, we will have as close a co-operation as possible. You know we have technical talks, but it's not that far yet. We haven't reached that stage yet. You know there's also support for the Ahtisaari process from the side of the NATO Allies as I've said publicly many times. But as we speak, there is NATO KFOR; as we speak, there is the UNMIK police having its responsibility, and the local police of course. But I think on the whole there was a useful exchange of views.

Let me also mention the importance of the regional aspects which was mentioned around the table more than once. I'll go to Belgrade on the eighth of March, not only of course to talk on Kosovo, because Ahtisaari runs the Kosovo process, but to talk about the Partnership for Peace, the Riga decision and the importance, although there is no Serb government yet in Belgrade. But I want to show to Serbia by going there that we're serious; that there is a serious element of regional stability here and to continue the discussion with my Serb interlocutors despite the fact, I say again, that there is no government.

In brief, a very useful meeting; useful to have this informal exchange of views and having said that, I would like to pass to Javier.

JAVIER SOLANA (EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy): Thank you very much.

I quite agree with what the Secretary General has said. It has been a very good meeting basically on two issues related to the Balkans - Bosnia and final stages of negotiations for Kosovo.

On Bosnia let me say that from the political point of view we heard a certain concern - I wouldn't say frustration - but moving into that direction because the government is not in place still and we would like to see that happen and the sooner the better. As far as the security concern, we are much more relaxed about the security elements, but we continue to be concerned about the political evolution in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the lack of government.

As you know today is the Peace Implementation Council that will have to take decisions about the way ahead. I'd like to say also that due to the situation on the ground on security, which is much better, we may be thinking about introducing the component of EUFOR. That decision probably will be taken tomorrow at the level of the European Union and it will be dealt with also in the weekend, Thursday, Friday. As you know it will be a meeting of the Ministers of Defence from the European Union in full.

As far as Kosovo is concerned, you know very well the position of the European Union. We had a General Affairs Council not long ago in which it was reported, not only the personality of Mr. Ahtisaari, President Ahtisaari, but also the work that he is doing. He has presented already part of the document related to the status, minority defence, (inaudible), religious sides, et cetera. And now as you know they are engaged in what he has called intensified dialogue to see how they can move on the process forward. A week has already lapsed; most of the week has been devoted to status issues, The week that starts not today, tomorrow, because today is holiday for them, there will be more on the standards; still on minorities, et cetera, et cetera.

Now we hope very much that something will come out from that negotiation, that intensive dialogue. What for us is very, very important is that a UN Security Council resolution is approved. We will not see any other way out of this process than a UN Security Council resolution and we would like very much that it will be a process, a calm process, in which after the negotiations the Security Council will take over the responsibility to agree on a UN Security Council resolution.

The European Union as you know is prepared to assume the responsibilities, not only on the economic co-operation, not only politically, but also what we may call in general terms security ESDP types of thing. Now we have to wait until the resolution is approved in order to finalize our planning and begin to deploy if that's the case, but I want to say that for the moment the full responsibility is still on UNMIK which is what is in place according to the resolution which is now the 1244, which is the only resolution that has been approved.

The co-operation with NATO is, as you can imagine, total and very profound because eventually we may have to have responsibilities which are more or less together and we would like to begin to work together, to prepare together, to dialogue together, to exchange ideas together and today is a good example of that. So moving and trying to see how we can both co-operate to what is our aim and our objective - a Balkans which are stable and a Balkans, which for us, who have in perspective to be eventually members of the European Union.

Thank you very much.

MODERATOR: Okay time for a few questions.

Q: Marc John from Reuters.

I have a question for Mr. Solana on Iran. The major powers are meeting on the next step forward on Iran in London today. Do you think it's time for European countries to look at steps such as limiting, cutting or even banning export credit guarantees to Iran at this stage?

SOLANA: Well you have said rightly that today's the first exchange of views at the level of political directors about Iran. Well as you know, the first resolution, the time for the first resolution, has finished and the report of Dr. Baradei has been already presented. It had not been voted in Vienna; it will be voted probably the fifth of this month. But it's time to analyze how we will proceed in view of the report already of Dr. Baradei, plus the behaviour of Iran vis-à-vis the resolution that has come to an end.

I would not like today to elaborate further on the content of potential future resolutions. It is the first time our political directors are discussing about that. When something is more specific, we will be happy to discuss it.

MODERATOR: Next, the lady here.

Q: (Inaudible) Macedonian TV.

I would like to ask both of you if everybody on the ground is aware of the activities of the radical movement self-determination and media in Macedonia have raised concern on the fact that self-determination opens offices in Skopje and Tetovo? What is your point of view both on this?

And to Mr. Solana, would you please publicly explain why you did not meet Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski because there is a lot of speculation in Macedonia and are you going to Macedonia to meet him?

SCHEFFER: I'll answer you the first part of your question. I have no point of view. The position the NATO Allies is crystal clear - that there's support for the Ahtisaari process. That the second important line is that in Kosovo, NATO KFOR is ready for all eventualities; that nobody should think that any form of violence would help anybody or anything, certainly not the process. I was there fairly recently where I made the same points in Pristina and I'm not going to participate in any kind of speculation.

SOLANA: On the question you have raised, the first one, you know very well there's a group, we know; that in Kosovo that is not very interested in negotiations which is taking place. They want independence now. As you know, this is not our position. And not only that, this is not the position of the leadership of Kosovo. As you know very well, 10 days ago, that Saturday it was a very important statement by all the leaders of Kosovo saying that that was not the way and I appreciate very much the statement of the leaders of Kosovo and I think they will continue acting on the same line.

Now on the second question that you asked, it's true that the Prime Minister was here, was in the European Union, and I had to fly out that morning. He knew that. I apologized for that and please do not draw any conclusions. Life is like that for people like me which are on the move most of the time. It happens very often that I have to cancel a meeting, but don't try to draw any political conclusions. As you know, my engagement with your country is total and I think I've proven in many, many, many occasions and I will continue to do it. I will go as soon as I can. I will invite him here. I was here with the president not long ago.

The last thing I want to be misinterpreted, my personal relations with Skopje, with Macedonia, which as you know is a country with whom I have put a lot of my life, a lot of my energy, in trying to help.

Q: Paul Ames from the Associated Press. I'd like to ask a question to each of you please.

To the Secretary General of NATO, could you comment on the British government's decision today that it's sending extra troops to Afghanistan because of the failure of other Allies to come forward with reinforcements for ISAF? And for Dr. Solana, the Hamas leadership has renewed calls today for an end to the economic restrictions on the Palestinian Authority in the light of their agreement with Fatah. How is the European Union going to respond to that?

SOLANA: (Inaudible)?

Q: To Hamas leadership asking for an end to the economic restrictions on the Palestinian Authority.

SCHEFFER: I applaud any decision by any nation to increase their force contribution in Afghanistan and that includes the United Kingdom. I do not share the analysis that other Allies are not stepping up to the plate because we have seen many Allies since the NATO summit in Riga announcing or making effective an increase in their contributions. So that part of the analysis I do not share, but I applaud any force contributions. And you know I came back from Afghanistan last Friday, so I could hear about it, I could see it; I see many nations coming in and I don't share in other words the analysis that it is because of the failure of others. I see a lot of them coming in.

SOLANA: Well as you know we had not long ago a meeting of the (inaudible) in Berlin you remember and you remember the statement. Of course we have not changed from that statement today that took place on Thursday. Let me again say we think that the negotiations that took place in Mecca were a positive step. Of course we cannot make the full judgement because the negotiations have not been finalized. Still the government is not in place. Some of the discussions have to be finalized among themselves and they would like to see how the application of the agreement is done on the ground.

But as I said publicly in Berlin on Thursday, I hope very much that this unity government will be part of the solution, not part of the problem. For them it's to say if they will be part of the solution or part of the problem.

MODERATOR: We have time for one more.

Q: (Inaudible) News Agency for Mr. Solana.

Do you see the constructive approach that was asked and expected by European Union and also NATO in the negotiations in Vienna by the fact that the Serbian government presented a lot of very precise amendments on the proposal of Mr. Ahtisaari?

And second question, how do you see the announcement of possibilities in some very important political circles in Great Britain and the United States that if there is no solution in Security Council of the United Nations, that it would be some kind of recognition unilaterally by Kosovo independence?

Thank you.

SOLANA: Okay, on the two questions. I think that the fact that in Vienna continued to be this intensified consultations I think is good. It has been a week already. Some ideas have been put on the plate, on the table. They will continue this week and there will be a meeting probably around the tenth at which it's hoped that that meeting will be a high-level and therefore that Prime Ministers will be there and they will have the opportunity to make the last contribution to this intensified consultation. So that I think is good in itself.

Now the second thing. I said very clearly and I'd like to repeat it once again for the European Union, the existence of a UN Security Council resolution is very, very important. It's fundamental; it's fundamental because it will… without that, it will be difficult to take the responsibilities that we are called to play eventually if the situation evolves in a positive manner. And I think that that is, for us, very, very important.

Thank you very much.

SCHEFFER:Thank you very much.