German, French, Polish leaders meet in Germany to discuss security issues

Leaders from Germany, France and Poland, the two dominant European Union (EU) powers and the biggest membership candidate, met yesterday in the Hambach castle in Germany to discuss EU expansion, security in the region, as well as EU policy towards Russia and Ukraine. The three leaders, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, and presidents Jacques Chirac and Aleksander Kwasniewski, agreed that they do not want European military forces to undermine the position of NATO. They also said they want to develop the partnership with Russia and Ukraine, with Poland participating in the process as much as possible. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p.9, Reuters) T.J.