Dublin, 13/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - With the situation evolving very quickly in Mali (suicide attacks, arrival of French troops on the border with Algeria), the European training mission for the Mali Armed Forces (EUTM Mali) is having problems getting off the ground. It currently lacks critical capabilities, specifically two medical evacuation helicopters. Meeting in Dublin (Ireland) for an informal Defence Council on Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 February, European ministers managed to resolve another problem, however. Up until that point, France was virtually alone in its commitment to provide protection for this mission. These concerns are now at an end, as Spain and the Czech Republic have just pledged to make their contribution.
France was worried. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian passed on the message to his colleagues in Dublin that it was not the job of the French army single-handedly to provide protection for the training camp, which will be located at Koulikoro. This call did not fall on deaf ears. Spain proposed to transfer some of its soldiers, 50 in total, to the protection force, which will ultimately number around 150 soldiers. Several Czech soldiers will support them in this mission.
The issue of the two helicopters required for medical support was not openly discussed at the working session devoted to Mali. But from the very beginning, all eyes were naturally turned towards Belgium to provide this component of EUTM Mali. The Belgian minister, Pieter de Crem, had ended up coming to Dublin, though this was not originally planned, but he declined to discuss this issue with the press. However, the list of candidate countries making an offer of this kind was not very long and, although a number of options were discussed, none of them has so far been felt suitable. A diplomat who attended the meeting said, however, that he was confident that the problem would be resolved within the next few days, but declined to go into details.
Since Friday 8 February, a multinational detachment of 70 soldiers has been in Bamako. The aim has been to prepare for the deployment of the mission logistically and technically. According to a European source, the timetable for setting up and deploying the mission remains unchanged, even given the uncertainties over the medical evacuation issue. The initial training of a battalion of the Malian army is still scheduled to start in the first week of April.
Describing it as an historic gesture, Irish Defence Minister Alan Shatter announced that Ireland and the United Kingdom would create a joint team of trainers for the European mission in Mali. “This is an historic step and provides a tangible manifestation of the very positive relationship” between the two countries, he stated. 18 British and eight Irish soldiers will be made available, subject to a formal decision on the part of the Irish government. (JK/transl.fl)