Brussels, 15/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 15 October, EU foreign affairs ministers gave their agreement in Luxembourg to the planning of a possible military mission to be urgently examined and deepened, as part of the common security and defence policy (CSDP) to help the Malian army recapture the north of Mali from the hands of Islamist groups. This agreement came straight after the United Nations Security Council resolution (2701) adopted on Friday to prepare the deployment of an international force to Mali. The ECOWAS countries have 45 days to define their plans.
The EU27, for their part, want to reach a common position before the support and follow-up group meeting on the situation in Mali which will take place in Bamoko on 19 October at the initiative of the African Union (AU), in consultation with the UN and ECOWAS.
High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said in a press release that everyone welcomes the UN resolution. She said they were going to work with the UN, the African Union and ECOWAS to prepare a plan to help the Malian population. The Council is going to prepare a crisis management concept, she said, to help train and restructure the Malian defence forces. She expressed the hope that Mali would soon see the restoration of a state of law and a democratic and sovereign government on the whole of its territory. There is a real feeling of urgency, she said, because there is a real risk for the whole Sahel region.
In its conclusions, the Council reiterates the EU's serious concerns about the serious political and security crisis affecting Mali, and it reiterates the EU's determination to bring its aid to the efforts undertaken by Mali to resolve this crisis in cooperation with its regional and international partners. It says that the crisis management concept should take account of the necessary conditions for the effectiveness of a possible mission, including the full and complete support of the Malian authorities and the definition of an exit strategy. Among the options submitted to the EU27 for examination, the most likely is the deployment of at least 150 military instructors to train the Malian soldiers for six months maximum. Laurent Fabius, the foreign minister of France, the country whose hostages in Mali and whose president were directly threatened by one of the Islamist groups, was very pleased that the EU has clearly decided to engage for Mali and for the Sahel. The EU is ready to gradually take cooperation with Mali from the adoption of a credible roadmap, and it is engaging - like the EU27 - to continue humanitarian aid in favour of Mali and the neighbouring countries. The possibility of targeted sanctions, adopted in close connection with ECOWAS, the AU and the UN, are envisaged against armed groups in the north and those who are hindering the return to constitutional order. (AN/transl.fl)