By returning its military to the unified NATO command, France hopes that its efforts to create a parallel European-based defense structure will finally pay off, despite the numerous bottlenecks expected in the realization of the long-held goal.

"There are three handicaps that France would need to overcome in order to make this a reality," said a defense analyst, citing: the Irish "no" vote to the treaty of Lisbon, British reluctance and France's own budget limits.

During a major policy speech on June 17, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that the French presidency of the European Union, set to begin in the second half of the year, would be "the first step towards a genuine revival of European defense".

However, France's Secretary of State for European Affairs Jean-Pierre Jouyet earlier this week in Brussels admitted that the revival, just like all the major objectives of France, would "be most affected by the result of the Irish referendum."

The members of the European Union are now scheduled to meet in October to examine the future of the Lisbon treaty. This means that the creation of a "vanguard" of Europe's defense, which is outlined in the treaty under the clause on "permanent and structured cooperation", is highly unlikely, according to observers.

However, the French authorities prefer to play down the magnitude of the task at hand: "In the final analysis, we should not expect a big bang in the six months ahead. What we want is to give the whole process an impetus," according to sources within the French presidential palace.

Similarly, France is putting forward other "priorities" that are independent of the ratification of the treaty. This includes issues such as "progress in the defense industry", "creation of a training school for all officers" or the establishment of "a European naval task force", according to the sources.

This is part of the "capacity building projection" regarding the proposed EU military force, which is still far away from attaining the goal of 60,000 men set in 1999, said a Paris-based military expert.

"But actually, the success or failure of the French presidency will depend largely on the attitude of Britain, which has expressed deep reservations on several of these priorities," said a senior French military officer under the cover of anonymity.

Paris wants London to stop rejecting the adoption of budgetary allocations for the European Defense Agency. Founded in 2004, France considers this institution as essential in the harmonization of military equipment programs and identification of technologies that are critical to security of the Europeans.

France has consistently called on Britain to lift its veto against the creation of a permanent European military headquarters in Brussels. The body, which has been in embryonic state since January 2007, is seen by the British government as a potential competitor to NATO.

"The battle is far from being won. On the side of the British, there is an uncertainty associated with the weakness of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whether in terms of public opinion or military bureaucracy," a senior French military officer was quoted as saying recently.

(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2008)