The minutes of the meeting of the Council of Western European Union (WEU), held on 21 March 1967, outline the discussions on relations between the WEU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). At the meeting, French Ambassador Geoffroy de Courcel notes that his country considers that the modified Brussels Treaty has a separate existence and is distinct from the North Atlantic Treaty, and that France’s withdrawal from the integrated military command only affects the Protocols that lay down the cooperation arrangements between the two organisations. British representative Lord Hood, however, believes that this withdrawal also has an impact on the ability of the WEU Member States to fulfil their mutual commitments arising from the Brussels Treaty. De Courcel also states that the French representative will no longer take part in the discussions on proposals submitted by SHAPE, but that there is no reason why France should not take part in the decision-making process within the WEU Council. On the matter of French forces for common defence, in reply to a question by Lord Hood, Geoffroy de Courcel states that France does not wish to change existing texts or previous practices, and that consequently it will provide the necessary information to the NATO Council, which in turn will pass it on to the WEU Council.