Mali is good. Don't forget Syria!

(BRUSSELS2 to Strasbourg) François Hollande received general congratulations for the French intervention in Mali. José-Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, paid tribute to " to the courage and determination of France. By being at the side of the people of Mali, you have guaranteed that Europe was also present by defending our interests and our values ​​to show that we have a mission which of course goes beyond the borders of Europe. » A statement taken up by almost all the groups: from the Christian-Democrats of the EPP to the Greens via the British Tories or the Liberals and Democrats.

The only false note, the left-wing group (GUE) made its difference heard. The German Gabriele Zimmer considering that " military intervention is “not a good thing. Its consequences are too unpredictable. We must respond to the people of Mali who turn to us: want democracy, claim the right to live in decent conditions, or that their environment be protected ". A few nuances have intervened, however, especially in the center;

Danny's Fairy is not a lady

For the Greens, Dany Cohn Bendit hailed the intervention, using the familiarity at leisure " You were right. But let's go further. Reconciliation is also with the Tuaregs, inside Mali. "And he denounced the behavior of some" not quite democratic, like Algeria, have not played their role to the end in the fight against terrorism, on the contrary, they are playing with fire by attacking terrorism and supporting them with other side ". In passing, he tackled C. Asthon “ It's not France that can act alone, it's Europe, but that's another fairy tale, To support us, we we need a High Representative for Foreign Affairs who is worthy of this post. This is not quite the case now”.

A no-fly zone for Syria

Guy Verhofstadt hailed this " good choice. It was inconceivable that a jihadist regime would settle in Bamako ". But the former Belgian Prime Minister insisted on alerting Syria to "another drama" and " its horrors » daily. This is not the first time that G. Verhofstadt has intervened. But he insisted on giving this warning. " Every day lost helping the democratic rebellion is a day gained for the jihadists. Assad will fall for sure. But it will be the radicals who will prevail. » Massive humanitarian aid must be provided, but also set up a no-fly zone in northern Syria. If we don't have the courage for that, let's give them anti-aircraft weapons so that they can defend themselves. »