Paris, 16 may 2001.- The day after the important defence policy speech of US President BUSH, the Colloquy of the WEU Assembly on “Revising the European Security Concept – New risks and Answers” convened more than 400 parliamentarians and experts from more than 30 countries in the Reichstag in Berlin. The two day colloquy treated the full range of current European security policy issues, in particular disarmament, missile defence, ESDP and regional cooperation. In the margins of the colloquy, Assembly President BÜHLER held extensive talks on security policy issues and the role of the WEU Assembly – the interim European Security and Defence Assembly.
 
Much attention was given to the Russian speakers, General V. MANILOV, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and Dimitri ROGOZIN, President of the Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Duma, who underlined the necessity to find a common position regarding the topic of strategic missile defence. They warned against the risk of a new arms race and recalled the value of international agreements on arms control. The Director General of the EU Military Staff , General R. SCHUWIRTH, laid out the details of the current build up of the EU Military Staff, soon to become operational and the force contributions of the EU countries for the EU rapid reaction force. 
 
In his capacity as WEU Council President Dutch Defence Minister F.G. DE GRAVE expressed the commitment of his government to look after the parliamentary dimension of ESDP and the role of the Assembly. Austrian Defence Minister, Mr SCHEIBNER recalled the importance of adequately funded defence budgets and the need for speedy progress with the implementation of the “Headline Goal” of the EU. 
 
Ambassador EKEUS, President of the International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in Stockholm, emphasised the need to tackle the challenges of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. He expressed the conviction that the Europeans should not leave the US alone to deal with this problem. Professor Harald MÜLLER, from the Institute for Peace Research in Frankfurt, elaborated on the risks of proliferation mainly concentrating on the situation in the Middle East. 
 
Among the other speakers during the colloquy, which provided the occasion for intensive discussions, were the President of the Committee on EU Affairs in the Bundestag, Mr. F. PFLÜGER MdB, the permanent representative of Sweden (EU Council Presidency) to the WEU, Ambassador A. OLJELUND, the Head of Security Policy of the European Commission, Mr. L.E. LUNDIN, and the Director of the WEU Satellite Centre, Mr. F. DAVARA.