Brussels, 21/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - Under the aegis of Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Military Committee of the EU on Monday activated a platform in Brussels tasked with centralising requests for assistance and offers of logistical support to the African-led international mission for Mali assistance (AFISMA), which will be led by a Nigerian General. The mechanism, which will function as a "clearing house", a single point of entry for the requests of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and offers made by the member states and other international partners, was officially set in place on the day after the extraordinary ECOWAS summit in Abijan on Saturday 19 November, where the heads of state of ECOWAS signed the AFISMA deployment order and called on the UN to provide immediate logistical and financial support for the deployment of the troops, whilst laying down no timetable.
The creation of the EU's “clearing house” mechanism is one of the first decisions taken in the wake of the extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council of 17 January exclusively given over to the EU's holistic response to the political, security and humanitarian crisis in Mali (EUROPE 10766). The European Union has proposed to host, on 5 February, a ministerial meeting of the international group to monitor and support the situation in Mali, with the AU and ECOWAS. The meeting will be chaired by Catherine Ashton, her spokesperson, Michael Mann, announced on Monday.
General François Lecointre, who has been appointed head of the training and advisory mission to the armed forces of Mali (EUTM Mali), left for Mali on Monday with a team of experts to carry out a needs assessment. Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, who has just returned from Abijan, was due to speak before the committee on foreign affairs of the European Parliament in Brussels late on Monday afternoon to take stock of the military operation underway and the results of the ECOWAS Summit, but was prevented from attending by adverse weather conditions. This meeting will therefore be postponed. (AN/transl.fl)