BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, June 13, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The EU should be strongly involved in reconstruction and democratisation of Mali, either via its funding and technical assistance or by extending the mandate of EU missions to help broader long-term capacity building in the Malian security sector and government, according to a resolution adopted by MEPs on Thursday.
The situation in Mali after the military coup of March 2012 is still fragile due to threats by radical Islamists, organized crime and extensive poverty, stress MEPs, therefore it should receive the EU's strongest support when building its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. They call for adequate, tailor-made funding to restore the rule of law, but also for the EU's logistic and technical support to help Malians fight drug and arm traffickers.
Practice to fight corruption could be included in training provided by the EU training mission to the Malian armed forces, add MEPs.
Extension of EU missions
The Parliament stresses the decisive role of the EU Training Mission which has provided assistance to the Malian army since February 2013. At the same time MEPs point to the need to support long-term capacity building of the Malian government and army in order to maintain country's territorial integrity.
They call on Catherine Ashton, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, to propose a solution to this end, either by extending the mandate of the current EU training mission or the EU civilian mission in Mali, or by creating a new mission dedicated to the broader reform of the civilian security sector.
2013 elections
MEPs welcome the intention to organize elections in Mali on 28 July and 11 August 2013 and stress the importance of democratic, free and fair elections as a first step towards a return to democracy in Mali but warn of possible security challenges during the elections. They call on the EU and its international partners to step up their support for the upcoming electoral process.
