 |
|
French
troops at Timbuktu Airport, Mali on January 30, 2013.
Photo/AFP
AFP
|
The United Nations is speeding up
planning for a peacekeeping force in Mali as French and Malian troops
steamroller into territory seized by Islamists, diplomats and officials said
Wednesday.
The UN Security Council could start
talks within days on moves that would probably incorporate African troops now
gathering in Mali into a formal blue helmet force, diplomats said.
"There is increasing talk now of
maybe moving straight to a UN peacekeeping operation. And that is one of the
options the council will be looking at in the next few days," said one
senior western diplomat.
UN officials said that planning for a
peacekeeping force started months ago, before France intervened on January 11
to halt an Islamist advance on the Mali capital, and is now at an
"advanced" stage.
After halting the advance by al-Qaeda
linked groups, French troops on Wednesday entered Kidal, the last Islamist
bastion in norther Mali, as part of a counter-offensive which has seen Islamist
fighters disappear into the desert.
The success of the French campaign
means "it might be possible to move faster than originally thought to a
full UN peacekeeping operation," the western diplomat added.
Other Security Council diplomats
confirmed that talks on the next move in Mali could start soon. US ambassador
Susan Rice has proposed several times in council talks in recent weeks that a
peacekeeping force must be considered, diplomats said.
The Security Council last month gave
formal blessing to an African-led intervention force that had originally
planned to support an offensive against territory taken by the Islamists later
this year.
The UN leadership had initially been
reluctant to give support to a military offensive. But after Ansar Dine and
other rebel groups started an advance on the capital, Bamako, UN leader Ban
Ki-moon praised France's "courageous" intervention.
France has said it wants to quickly
get out again though and the international community is having to rewrite its
plans for Mali.
Diplomats stressed there was still no
agreement and that it could take weeks to get agreement on any new UN step.
Peacekeepers could not take over until the offensive strikes against the
Islamists are complete, they said.
A new Security Council resolution
would be needed to approve any UN force.
About 5,000 African troops are
scheduled to arrive in Mali in coming weeks and these could make up the core of
any UN force once France declares its offensive is over, diplomats said.
A UN peacekeeping force would change
funding for the troops and the mandate in areas such as human rights.
Much of the Security Council debate
will be over what kind of force is approved.
Some western countries favour a
traditional UN force. Some African nations would prefer a "hybrid"
force as there is in Darfur, where the African Union and United Nations have
joint control.
One Security Council diplomat called
the hybrid style a "nightmare" as it is so difficult to make
decisions.
The new council talks will also have
to focus on what kind of encouragement to give to political talks.
Several European governments
and UN secretary general Ban have stressed that a political accord to reconcile
the Bamako government with ethnic Tuaregs and other minorities in the north
will be essential for any long-term stability.
No comments:
Post a Comment