Mr Solana, the war in Kosovo and the continuing crisis, have served to reveal a European public opinion that is aware that defending the fundamental values that gave rise to the European Union, throughout the world, should no longer continue to rest solely on the shoulders of the President of the United States of America and that the time has come to share the burden, which our American friends have constantly been demanding since Europe became a world economic power. Over the last year, the Member States of the Union have, naturally, decided to implement specific measures designed to strengthen the operational capability of their armed forces and the informal summit in Sintra, held the day before yesterday in your presence, has just confirmed the main trends. I have two questions on this subject to which your knowledge of the subjects concerned and the parties involved should make it possible to provide enlightening replies for our further debates and our work. The first question concerns the training of this rapid intervention force of 60 000 men, which, as you have said, is likely to be deployed to perform peace-keeping and peace-building missions and be capable of maintaining them on a long-term basis, if necessary. For the information of our colleagues, I must say here that the corresponding contingents should be divided into three parts: one third to prepare the mission, one third to carry it out and one third for rehabilitation, following often difficult ordeals for personnel and equipment. This explains why the initial figures given in the press, setting the volume of the forces to be built up at around 200 000 men, is close to reality, which has certainly surprised the uninitiated. My first question, Mr Solana, will be simple and more direct, perhaps, than those of my colleagues who have spoken before me. You know the French proverb, ‘Nothing for nothing’. Do you really think that the governments of the Union are prepared to pay the corresponding price at a time when many of them, apparently at least, have decided to continue to reap what ten years ago were called the peace dividends. My second question is of a more technical nature, but it is important for the responsibilities of the Atlantic Alliance and the Western European Union to be transferred to the European Union as harmoniously as possible. You have told us, in this regard, that three committees are being set up, a political committee and a security committee, which started up today, and a military committee. You then spoke of their relations with the third country members of the Atlantic Alliance or associate members of the Western European Union but which are not members of the European Union. In the operation of the temporary institutions, whose establishment has just been decided, can you tell us, Mr Solana, what status you intend to confer on the members of the Alliance and on the associate States of the WEU which, I repeat, are not yet members of the European Union? Could they, for example, have a place, at least as observers, in the different political and security committees or in the military committee? You know that they are concerned about the risk of being isolated and I should like to say that I understand their wish to participate with you in bringing this to a successful conclusion.

Political group: PPE-DE