Cairo, 15/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - On 13 November at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton inaugurated the League's crisis room, which is co-financed for up to €1.9 million by the EU. The European Union also shared its know-how and tools, and will help train 200 Arab civil servants. In addition, it will continue to provide support as the League of Arab States defines its own crisis management structures.
The room - which is already operational - aims to create capacity within the Arab League to perform effective crisis-related early warning and establish links with the European system.
The Lebanese minister of foreign affairs, Adnan Mansour, welcomed the crisis room which will, in his opinion, enable warning of the start of crises and will enable preventative solutions to be found before a crisis becomes complicated.
In Ashton's view, this room is the “living example of the kind of collaboration” that she wants to see more of in order to develop and deepen relations between the Arab League and the EU. “There is much that we need to do with each other and much that we need to learn from each other”, Ashton added. She recalled that the EU and the Arab League have agreed on joint action in the areas of energy, culture, women, legal affairs, humanitarian assistance and the electoral process (see EUROPE 10730). (CG/transl.fl)