Germany is preparing for a humanitarian mission, naval?, in Libya
(BRUXELLES2) It was my German colleague, Thomas Wiegold, who told me about his blogAnd the Tagesspiegel, the German federal government is preparing to submit a parliamentary proposal for the dispatch of German military forces off the coast of Libya. He relies on broad support from political groups for a humanitarian mission.
It would consist (in particular) in providing Bundeswehr security units, if necessary with Navy ships, to accompany ships loaded with humanitarian aid. The place is not specified. But one can think of three Libyan ports - Benghazi, Tripoli or Misrata (supply in Egypt or Tunisia does not require, in fact, an armed escort). An analogy can thus be made with the WFP or AMISOM boats in Somalia which are escorted by European ships.
One condition: the request of the United Nations
Without going into all the details, the German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle confirmed this commitment which remains conditional (like that of Eufor Libya) on one thing: the request of the United Nations. "If there is a demand, we will not shy away from our responsibilities, of course"said the minister on the television channel N24. "Germany is in favor of humanitarian engagement with forces from its Battlegroup" he clarified.
NB: This contribution could thus be complementary to a Finnish contribution (also in preparation), also drawn from elements of the battlegroup.
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