'Euro Army' is threat to security, say Tories

The European Rapid Reaction Force is undermining Nato and threatening the security of Europe, Iain Duncan Smith said yesterday.

The Tory leader attacked Tony Blair for failing to secure agreement on the role of the proposed "Euro Army" at the Nato summit in Prague, which brought seven former Eastern Bloc countries into the western military alliance.

Speaking as Mr Blair made a Commons statement on the outcome of the summit, Mr Duncan Smith welcomed plans for a new Nato response force to allow the alliance to intervene in troublespots around the globe. The 21,000-strong force, which could operate anywhere in the world, is expected to be fully operational by 2006.

But Mr Duncan Smith warned that the EU-run reaction force would split Nato and antagonise Britain's American allies. He told MPs: "It was a bad decision. It has undermined Nato, it has confused our allies and it threatens now to undermine European security."

Mr Duncan Smith said the new Nato response force was "vital to enable Nato nations to contribute effectively to the war against terrorism".

He said: "The army finds itself committed, however, to both the Euro army and to Nato. Can he confirm that Nato commitments rather than those of the Euro army will always have priority? The question underlines the failure of the summit to deal with the issue of the relationship between the Euro army and Nato. The Prime Minister promised that this key issue would be resolved four years ago."

Mr Blair replied: "It is quite correct that we have not been able to reach agreement between the EU and Nato. The reason for that is because there is a disagreement between Turkey and Greece about that.

"There are going to be circumstances where Europe is able to act but Nato, for reasons for example to do with American unwillingness, is unwilling to act. In circumstances where Nato as a whole cannot be engaged it makes perfect sense for European defence to take this over."

Mr Blair hailed the expansion of Nato to include Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, promising that "these invitations will not be the last".

He said he wanted to build on the transformed relations between the alliance and Russia. "My great hope is that we are now beginning to include the new Russia as a real partner in meeting the new threats we face," the Prime Minister said.