SWEDEN: France and Finland answer plea for help from UK over foot and mouth

Finland and France have answered the UK's plea for more vets to help them deal with the spread of foot and mouth. Prime Minister Tony Blair made an appeal to European Union leaders on Friday to send vets to Britain to counteract a shortage that is delaying measures to tackle the highly contagious disease. French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin offered to send civilian and military vets, while Finland's Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen also gave Blair a commitment to help. Dutch Premier Wim Kok also called for EU partners to cooperate against the disease by exchanging veterinary expertise.