EC PRESIDENT PRODI VISITS SLOVENIA

LJUBLJANA, March 7 (Hina) - Membership in the European Union and NATO is not mutually exclusive, on the contrary, it is best to be in both organisations because the European Union still needs time to define a common security and foreign policy and it needs firm trans- Atlantic alliance, the president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, said in Ljubljana on Friday. #L# In Slovenia's case, it would be better to be inside rather than outside NATO, Prodi told the Slovenes, who are going to the polls on March 23 to decide at a referendum if they want to join both organisations. Asked about differences in opinions about the Iraqi crisis in Europe and the USA, Prodi said Europe and the US were not divided over Iraq because even in Europe opinions about the issue varied. He described as unfair a recent statement by French President Jacques Chirac who said that with regard to the Iraqi crisis future EU members had missed the opportunity to keep silent and supported the USA instead. Prodi added that most EU countries were NATO members even though some were neutral, however, in some 10-15 years the EU, too, would have to take over some defence tasks. (hina) sp rml sb