"I am not particularly alarmed by the fact that Europeans want to talk about their own security," he told journalists.

"I do think that the best hope for a strong European security in the future is a strong NATO," the US general said.

"It has been so in the past.

"There is no reason why it won't be in future," Jones said.

His headquarters is in Mons, southern Belgium, but Jones spoke in Washington where he is to testify before Congress on Tuesday.

He offered an example of a recent European success, the stabilization operation in Macedonia since late March handled by the first European military force, with a green light from the North American Treaty Organization.

The European force, with soldiers from 27 countries, took over from NATO forces.

Jones answered questions during a meeting with defense journalists who asked about the possibility that a subgroup of European countries that do not always see eye-to-eye with the United States could threaten NATO unity.

This rump summit of four countries out of NATO's 15 members that opposed the United States and Britain over the Iraq war will not undermine NATO or the principles of European defense, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said earlier.

SPACE.WIRE