Security and defence issues were discussed informally by Heads of State and Government and Foreign Ministers last week. These important issues will also be discussed in detail next month. The Government's main objective in this area is to achieve an outcome which will enable the Union to play a greater role for good internationally, while respecting the values and traditions of member states. At the Intergovernmental Conference, we will seek to clarify the various proposals contained in the draft treaty and, in doing so, we will argue that any new arrangements in the security and defence area should be transparent, inclusive and accountable to the Union as a whole. It is clear that further work is required in a number of areas, in particular, structured co-operation and defence.