A true foreign policy requires armed forces, states Gil-Robles

19/05/1999 (Agence Europe)

European Parliament President José Maria Gil-Robles took part, on 17 and 18 May in Florence, at the third conference ofpresidents of the European regional legislative assemblies. On this occasion, he mainly regretted that the EU foreign policy is in tow to that of the United States". He noted that "there is only a real foreign policy if there are armed forces which command respect". Otherwise, he said the foreign policy is not credible. Alas, he stated, "people like Milosevic only understand threats".

Furthermore, Mr Gil-Robles met the Italian minister for Community policies, Enrico Letta, and took part, at the European University Institute of Fiesole, in a conference debate on the theme "the new institutional balance of the European Union".