ZAGREB ZAGREB, Nov 19 (Hina) - The United States would like to see a military unit of south-eastern European countries, called SEEBRIG (South-East European Brigade), be prepared for its possible deployment outside the region, the U.S.
delegation told a ministerial meeting of South-Eastern European Defence Ministers (SEDM) in Zagreb on Wednesday.
ZAGREB, Nov 19 (Hina) - The United States would like to see a
military unit of south-eastern European countries, called SEEBRIG
(South-East European Brigade), be prepared for its possible
deployment outside the region, the U.S. delegation told a
ministerial meeting of South-Eastern European Defence Ministers
(SEDM) in Zagreb on Wednesday. #L#
The world is becoming globalised and we would like to see SEEBRIG be
ready for operations also outside the Balkans, said Ian Brzezinski
who led the U.S. delegation at the eight SEDM ministerial meeting,
instead of Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
SEEBRIG was set up to take part in peace-keeping and humanitarian
operations under the command of NATO or the Western European Union,
under a mandate of the United Nations or the OSCE.
Croatia, as well as the United States and Slovenia, have observer
status in the brigade, which consists of troops from Albania,
Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Romania and Turkey.
At the end of the one-day conference, SEDM defence ministers
adopted a joint declaration in which they expressed support to NATO
and EU operations, and pointed out the importance of the role of the
SEDM and SEEBRIG in strengthening the stability in the region.
Croatian Defence Minister Zeljka Antunovic said the declaration
had been adopted in "a simple and co-operative atmosphere of
harmonising views".
The U.S delegation informed the participants of the situation in
Afghanistan and Iraq.
The SEDM ministers voiced their countries' commitment to the
continuation of cooperation in the fight against international
terrorism, according to the joint declaration.
The SEDM is a political and military forum aimed at strengthening
cooperation among South-East European countries, Italy and the
United States in the area of defence, so as to speed up the
integration of South-East European countries into trans-Atlantic
associations, especially NATO.
The SEDM, established in 1996 in Tirana, includes Albania,
Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, the United
States, Slovenia and Turkey as well as Ukraine and Moldova as
observers.
Croatia joined the forum at a meeting in Thessaloniki in 2000.
(hina) ms sb