French-Baltic air police to continue mission

VILNIUS - France will participate in the NATO-sanctionedair police mission in the Baltic States aslong as it will be required.

This was affirmed by France'sSecretary of State attached to Minister of Defense and Veterans' Affairs Jean-MarieBockel, on his recent visit to Vilnius.

Following a meeting with Bockel, Defense Minister Juozas Olekas repeated that France promised to back the air police missionuntil the Baltic States make another decision.
France'sparticipation in two more rotations of the mission before year 2011 was alsoconfirmed at the time of the meeting.

France'sfighter aircraft guarded the airspace of the Baltic countries during the monthsof March-August in year 2007.

Baltic countries do not have suitable airships for patrolling their skies. Bythe decision of the North Atlantic Council, planes and contingents are deployedin Lithuaniafor a rotation of a few months in order to watch over the airspace of theBaltic countries.
According to current agreements, NATO partners will watch over the airspace ofthe Baltic Countries until year 2011. However Lithuania,Latvia and Estonia areopting for the mission to be extended until year 2018.
It was decided at the time of a tripartite meeting of defense ministers of theBaltic states in the end of May, that Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia willconduct a study by 2010 to seek out the most effective choice as to what formthe NATO-sanctioned air police mission currently under implementation in theBaltic countries could take on in the future.