Paris, 18 June 2001.- Javier Solana, WEU Secretary-General and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CSFP), Monday assured the WEU Assembly that the Council “will assume fully its responsibilities as regards the WEU Parliamentary Assembly” when the organisation’s crisis-management functions have been transferred to the Union European (EU). 
 
Addressing the 47th Assembly session, Mr. Solana confirmed that at the beginning of the summer the military headquarters of the WEU will halt its operational activities after the completion of the successful WEU-NATO joint exercise” JES 1. By contrast, “the Satellite Centre and the Security Institute will remain under the WEU’s responsibility until the corresponding agencies have been created within the EU at the beginning of 2002,” he added.   
 
“At the beginning of July, all will be in place for the WEU to continue to fulfill the tasks for which it is still responsible,” Mr. Solana continued. These are notably the obligations under articles V and IX of the modified Brussels Treaty, he said. The WEU secretariat “will continue to provide the necessary support for the cooperation of the Western European Armaments Group and the Western European Armaments Organisation.   
 
Mr. Solana also stressed that although the role in the Council’s activities of countries that are not full WEU members will “naturally diminish,”their formal status will remain unchanged.” He added that he intended “to place a high priority on maintaining an open and full dialogue with this Assembly.”