EU Interim Mission in Congo: Checkmate?
(BRUSSELS2) A Belgian position tinged with bitterness
"My feeling is that it is not possible to mount an operation now." Karel de Gucht, the Belgian Foreign Minister, confided it, with a little bitterness, to a few journalists, Tuesday evening, after the traditional dinner between European members of NATO. The possibility of an interim EU mission has therefore fizzled out... at least for now. "There is a real humanitarian drama happening in the Congo" specifies the Belgian Minister. “But no possibility of intervention”.
Why die for the Congo? The Minister who met with his British counterparts (miliband), Dutch (Verhagen) and French (Kouchner) and should meet with the Swede in Helsinki (Bildt) is now convinced. No country is ready to assume the "lead" of the operation. "It is clear that (even) France is not ready to take the lead in the operation. It would no doubt have left to participate in such a mission, but in a limited way or in logistical support". And without the commitment of a framework nation, there is no mission. An interim EU mission would indeed have involved between 2 and 3000 men. Far less than the countries were willing to commit. "Many countries are in overdrive with Afghanistan". In other countries (Germany is not mentioned, but no need for a major survey to find out), attention for the Congo is close to 0, both at political and media level, confides a diplomat.
Support for MONUC for lack of anything better. The Europeans could, however, provide MONUC with certain support functions such as transport (C130s or helicopters), intelligence services (drones, very useful in the Kivus, and data interpretation), or assistance with the reform of security ("provided that there is a clearer commitment from the Congolese State, for the follow-up"). But, for Belgium, "there is no question of providing ground troops to MONUC. Our contribution could have been made only within the framework of the European Union" specifies the Minister, who will report to his federal government colleagues in a Kern (restricted cabinet) this Wednesday morning.
A divided French position on the advisability of intervening
Before any European shipment, MONUC must reorganize... This Tuesday afternoon, during a session at the External Affairs Committee (Afet) of the European Parliament, the French Minister of Defense, Hervé Morin had sealed the fate of an interim mission by denying any desire to intervention (as he had already done during a interview above) and insisted on the necessary reorganization of MONUC, on several essential points:
1° The distribution of men. "Some MONUC men are currently in Kinshasa. There is absolutely nothing going on there. It seems normal to me that we first ask MONUC - which has 60 aircraft and 16000 soldiers - to reorganize, to better distribute its troops ."
2° The command and use of force. "There is a "problem of command and organization. MONUC operates under Chapter VII of the United Nations and can therefore use force but finds itself unable to use it because the countries contributing troops do not want it There is a major contradiction here. It is up to MONUC to deploy its troops in accordance with the mandate given by the United Nations."
A government hiatus. Without these two preliminary measures, the French minister does not see any possible European intervention. "There is a contradiction in wanting to send forces to supervise others. One can wonder about the relevance of the device." Now, he acknowledged, the Europeans have offered their help to facilitate humanitarian assistance. And "France has always indicated that it could participate in the implementation of the command, send executives, for MONUC. Apparently between Hervé (Morin) and Bernard (Kouchner), however both members of the same government, and all two followers of Nicolas Sarkozy, there is an approach that is not quite identical.
(NGV)
(Photo credit: (De Gucht) Belgian diplomacy - (Morin) Roland Pellegrino/ECPAD
