Brussels, 24/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - The foreign affairs ministers of the countries of the Western Mediterranean (five European countries with a Mediterranean shoreline and five member countries of the AMU (Arab Maghreb Union), meeting in Nouakchott, Mauritania on 16 April, examined the situation in the region, looking mainly at the security aspects on which agreement does not appear to be total, at least on the possibility of participating directly in military operations under the UN. This impression is reinforced by the very little publicity the outcome of the meeting has had. Very little information has filtered into the Maghreb and international media, which have been unusually tight-lipped about the results of the meeting. The climate in the region may also explain this silence. A change in the American strategy could exacerbate relations between neighbours, putting Morocco into a difficult situation over the issue of the Western Sahara (mandate of the “Minurso” being redefined within the UN). The French and other European countries are believed to be working to moderate the effects of the disavowal experienced by Rabat.
Shortly before the Nouakchott meeting, Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, said after a meeting with the Mauritanian president that “France wants the 5+5 group to plug the gap left by Chad, because the countries of western Africa are refusing to get involved in an ethnic war”, the local media report. Only Mauritania's announcement that it has agreed to send troops to the peacekeeping force in Mali has got out. This force, to be put together by the UN, “will make it possible to preserve security in Mali and will allow the UN to monitor security operations”, he told the country's press agency, AMI (our translation throughout).
At political level, however, opinions would appear to be more in line as, in their final declaration, quoted by the press agency, the 5+5 group confirmed its support for intervention in Mali, as it has “succeeded in blocking the advance of the armed Islamic groups and their drug-trafficking allies across the Sahara”. Replying to topical questions before the French parliamentary assembly, Fabius clarified a number of points: “On next Wednesday or Thursday, there will be a vote at the UN. It is our firm hope that we will see a unanimous vote in the Security Council in favour of our resolution, which defines the conditions under which the troops should intervene in the country in order to ensure stability and the return of democracy. The force is to be made up of 12,000 troops”. The UN resolution should apply from 1 July, he added.
The fight against terrorism in the Sahel-Sahara region was also on the agenda of the meeting in Rabat of the AMU home affairs ministers on 22 April. The Five believe that the security situation is getting worse in the Sahel and Sahara region. According to the media, they agreed that terrorism, cross-border organised crime, the trafficking in weapons and drugs, illegal immigration, money laundering and the links which exist between these scourges represent a dangerous threat to the security and stability of the countries of the Maghreb and their neighbours. The same media sources added that their meeting confirmed the member countries' willingness to work together and in coordination, particularly in the fields of security and the fight against terrorism. (FB/transl.fl)