Nicosia, 28/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - At the end of a discussion in Nicosia on Wednesday 26 September, EU defence ministers gave their support to drawing up a discussion paper with a view to possible intervention in Mali. The paper will take account of developments not only on the ground but also in the regional context - especially the agreement between the authorities of Mali and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on deployment of a regional intervention force, and the requests from ECOWAS and the authorities of Mali to the European Union. An initial request for a discussion paper on EU action in support of ECOWAS had been drawn up by the foreign affairs ministers on 23 July, but until now had come to nothing.
The defence ministers' discussion showed broad consensus for acting in support of both the authorities of Mali and ECOWAS. It thus enables the reflection to be relaunched and taken deeper. The French minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, argued strongly for Mali's cause and called for work to be accelerated with a view to European commitment combining civil contribution with military effort. The other ministers expressed little reservation, according to an observer. In the absence of their ministers, who were only due to arrive later that evening, the German and Swedish ambassadors underlined the need to respect the principle of ownership by the African authorities of any action undertaken by the EU and to include that action within the framework of the United Nations resolutions. All those taking the floor said they were in favour of looking at all the options for a civilian-military operation, on the basis of requests made by ECOWAS and the authorities of Mali. However, the possibility of deploying five battalions, as requested by the president of Mali, “is not an option”, said the Swedish defence minister, Karin Enström. The discussion paper is to be drawn up by the Crisis Management and Planning Directorate (CMPD) by the time the Foreign Affairs Council meets on 15 October.
In a letter to European Commission President José Manuel Barroso on 8 September, President of Mali Dioncounda Traore and Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra ask for the European Union's aid “for the freedom of northern Mali”. The authorities of Mali ask for the European Union's help in three areas: (1) making the transition institutions secure (essentially means for detecting and neutralising explosives, and assistance in forensic science); (2) reorganising the armed forces and security (help with acquiring equipment, logistic support and training); and (3) restoring territorial integrity (especially intelligence, transporting humanitarian aid and medical support, constructing camps and other infrastructure).
Libya and Syria. During the same discussion, the ministers also spoke of the situation in Libya and Syria and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the transition in the former country and the search for a political solution in the latter. With regard to Syria, the Cypriot defence minister Demetris Eliades - who chaired the meeting in the absence of Catherine Ashton - stressed the need to prevent the problem spreading and the collateral effects of the Syrian crisis in neighbouring countries. “What we want to do is support the peoples of the region to build their own democratic institutions”, said Eliades.
The ministers also discussed the introduction of a code of conduct aiming to make the pooling and sharing of capabilities more systematic (see Europe Diplomacy and Defence for more details). (OJ/transl.fl)