Evora, 01/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - Speaking in Evora on Saturday 29 September, Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the CFSP, commented on meetings held last Thursday and Friday in New York, saying “not only is there positive development when it comes to Sudan but also for Chad and the Central African Republic”. Solana, who had broken off his stay in New York to join EU defence ministers in the capital of Alentejo (central Portugal), referred to deployment of an AU-UN (UNAMID) hybrid force in Darfur and preparations for deployment of a European military force in the neighbouring regions of Chad and the Central African Republic.
The meeting of EU defence ministers in Evora allowed further discussion on the contributions that EU member states might possibly make to the European force, the backbone of which is French with a battalion (1,000 to 1,500 strong) and an operations headquarters in Paris. Hervé Morin, French Defence Minister, pointed out to his colleagues that France and the United Kingdom had presented, “on behalf of the EU”, Resolution 1778 adopted by the Security Council on Tuesday 25 September (Ed: the resolution comprises the EU military force's mandate and provides for deployment of a UN police force of 300). The international community has been seeking a solution to help the populations of Darfur for the past five years and, Morin said, “any hesitation on our part only makes the ESDP lose some of its credibility”. He called on his colleagues to make a stronger contribution to setting up the future European force, deployment of which is due in November.
As things stand, Ireland is the second largest contributor, with 350 military. After Ireland come Sweden (200), Poland (150) and Belgium (100). Spain and Romania plan to provide strategic airlift means. Finland and Austria also wish to take part but have not yet stated how. Greece may make a contribution in terms of airlift. Luxembourg has announced it will make a financial contribution of €400,000. The Netherlands is hesitating between contributing to the UN force in Darfur or to that of the EU, said to be more costly as the UN shoulders some of the cost. The United Kingdom has not yet stated what it intends to do and Germany's reluctance to take part in missions in Africa is well known. Minister Franz Josef Jung repeated that his country's contribution would be limited to a few officers at the operations headquarters.
The future EU force and the UN police force are expected to protect some 400,000 Sudanese and Chadian refugees displaced in eastern Chad as well as 200,000 other civilians who have been uprooted from their homes in the northern part of the Central African Republic. (oj)