EU struggles to agree plans for Congo mission

EU defence ministers meeting in Austria today struggled to finalise plans to send hundreds of troops to Congo, where the UN has requested peacekeeping back-up as the vast African nation prepares for elections designed to end years of civil strife.

Pressure mounted today for Germany and France to take a lead in the risky mission, to which many European Union countries have been reluctant to commit troops.

“There is willingness in Europe to respond, and on this occasion it’s probable that our French and German colleagues will be in the lead on that,” British Defence Secretary John Reid said going into the talks.

However, diplomats said Germany wanted EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana to travel to Congo first to finalise details of the mission before it committed forces.

Diplomats said nations including Poland, Sweden, Austria and Spain may offer small numbers of troops if an agreement on a mission leader could be reached.

The plan would involve about 1,200 troops, but many would likely be based outside Congo in an “over-the-horizon” force on standby to intervene if there is trouble during the elections.

Congo is scheduled to hold a first round of presidential elections in June, and subsequent votes could be spread out over several months.

Officials said the EU mission would likely be run from a German headquarters in Potsdam, outside Berlin. Reid said Britain may offer help with planning, but commitments in Afghanistan and Iraq would prevent any significant deployment of British troops.

EU nations have been struggling since January to muster troops for the operation, and prolonged hesitation would call into question the bloc’s ambitions to build a military capability to operate independently of Nato.

Germany has faced pressure to lead the operation because it currently heads the EU’s rotating system of “battlegroups” – quick reaction units designed for deployment in international hot spots.

Berlin has remained non-committal, however, and called for support from France and other EU nations.

“This cannot be only German and French troops,” said German Defence Minister Franz-Josef Jung.

“We cannot take over a leading role alone.”

Solana yesterday said he was in regular contact with Congolese President Joseph Kabila, who backed the EU’s preparations. But the Germans reportedly want more guarantees that local leaders also support the European deployment.

The UN has 16,000 peacekeepers in Congo who frequently come under fire in the lawless east of the country. European troops would be used to provide emergency backup and evacuation for the UN troops and civilian election observers.