Rippon links defence with entry

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32459, 20 November 1970, Page 13

Rippon links defence with entry

’ (N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) PARIS, Nov. 19. Britain’s chief Common Market entry negotiator, Mr Geoffrey Rippon, said yesterday that European economic integration might lead to effective European defence co-operation. “Europe is on the move and our possibilities in the field of defence will depend on our achievements elsewhere,” he told the Assembly of the Western European Union, which links Britain with the six Common Market countries. Mr Rippon said that there were many aspects of Euro-: pean defence co-operation which might fall within the field of adjustments to the organisation of the Atlantic Alliance.

These adjustments might be necessary if progress on the defence front were to be brought into line with that j on the economic and politi-l cal fronts, he said. There was no indication in Mr Rippon’s speech that European defence might include _ French-British nuclear co-operation in the next decade. a subject which the British Defence Minister (Lord Carrington) is expected to touch upon in talks in Paris: with the French Defence Minister (Mr Michel Debre) on Friday.

Mr Rippon, who devoted most of his 20-page speech to defence matters, said that European defence co-opera-tion would be much more difficult without British membership of the European Economic Community. “Once this is achieved, the whole setting for defence co-1 operation and co-ordination] will be transformed,” he said. Mr Rippon added: “As we are developing new methods of working together in foreign policy and defence, it would be obviously best if we could seek to achieve solutions which are Community solutions.

“There is a very close con-I nection between economic in-1 tegration and the effective-' ness of European defence.” Britain had repeatedly made it clear that co-operation in the field of defence must form a vital part of the relaunching of Europe, he said.

Mr Rippon said that Europe’s security in the years to come was likely to depend increasingly on the Europeans’ own efforts.

"As Europe grows richer, 'our continent should also become more self reliant," he said. “Europe ought to assume a greater measure of ■responsibility for its own defence.”

Britain and her European and American allies wanted to ease tension in Europe, but I they also wanted to see the Soviet tanks rumble back from Eastern Europe, Mr Rip. pon said.

“If our efforts to reach understanding result in tanks rumbling back from Eastern Europe, then we shall know we have achieved something,” he said. I “If tanks are melted down

i to make Moskvitches or > Volgas (cars), we shall know i our achievement is durable,” ' he added. “Then it will be ’ time to scrap our own tanks.” Mr Rippon said that while i Europe inched its way toward

r a better (East-West) underi standing in the future, “we ’ must not forget those tanks.” : The Western allies would ’ have to maintain and ims prove their defences for 1 many years to come, he said.