VOA标准英语10月-EU Defense Ministers Agree to Phase Out Peacekeep
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European Union Defense1 ministers have wrapped up a two-day meeting in France focused on beefing up the bloc's defense capabilities2 and looking at EU missions in Bosnia, Chad and elsewhere. For VOA, Lisa Bryant has more on the talks from Paris.EU ministers meeting in the northern French city of Deauville agreed to phase out their peacekeeping presence in Bosnia, although they did not set a deadline to do so.
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| Herve Morin speaks during closing press conference of two-day informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Deauville, Normandy, 02 Oct 2008 |
French Defense Minister Herve Morin called the four-year-old peacekeeping operation a success. The 2,000-member mission has been involved in military tasks in accordance with a deal ending Bosnia's 1992-1995 war.
Morin said several options were now on the table, including phasing out the operation and turning the tasks over to civilians3 and Bosnian soldiers.
Eight EU countries also volunteered to create a maritime4 security force to fight piracy5 that has been rampant6 off the coast of Somalia. In perhaps their most audacious act, Somali pirates have boarded a Ukrainian ship carrying arms. The maritime initiative still needs approval - probably during another EU defense meeting in Brussels next month.
Morin also said the EU ministers had made strides on ways to improve Europe's military capabilities in cooperating more closely. Among other ideas, they are pushing a plan to allow officers to study in military schools across the 27-member block.
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