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BONN, December 10 (Itar-Tass) - Nobody is going to transform the European Union into a military force, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said.

Speaking at a Bundestag session on Thursday, Schroeder said that NATO will remain guarantor of peace and security in Europe in future, which will be demonstrated by the upcoming Alliance's summit in Washington in April 1999.

At the same time, European states should be able to assume responsibility for its own security and defence and implement its own initiatives to settle regional conflicts, such as in Kosovo, the chancellor said.

An idea of granting the European Union an autonomy in the area of defence was discussed during French-British consultations last week. This idea has been supported by Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini.

Schroeder noted that British Prime Minister Anthony Blair made interesting proposals which meet the interests of U.S. partners.

He stressed that the German government will back these initiatives and called for integration into the EU of the Western European Union.

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