Elite European police units meet in Vienna

(VIENNA) - Elite police units from all 27 EU members, as well as Switzerland and Norway, met Monday in Vienna for a three-day seminar to share experiences and discuss new security challenges, organisers said.

"It's a mutual update," said Detlef Polay, spokesman for Austria's special police unit Cobra, which is organising this meet on the 30th anniversary of its creation.

Members of the ATLAS Group, which includes all 27 European Union countries, plus Switzerland and Norway, are meeting at the Cobra's headquarters in Wiener Neustadt, south of the capital.

Participants will discuss ways to integrate elite units from the new EU members and take part in workshops, including one on freeing hostages.

King Abdullah II of Jordan, who once trained with the Cobra, which also provides his security on annual skiing holidays in the Austrian Alps, will also attend an anniversary celebration on Wednesday.

Created in 1978, the Cobra has earned an international reputation in matters of flight safety and works closely with Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel and the United States in this area.

The 418-strong unit, which recently set up a special air marshall training centre, helped evacuate European nationals during the 2006 Lebanon war and will provide security during the European football championship on June 7-29.