Austria criticises delay of EU peacekeeping force to Chad
December 22, 2007 (VIENNA) — Austria’s defence minister criticised the EU for delaying a peacekeeping mission to Chad because it could not find helicopters for the operation, in an interview with an Austrian daily published Saturday.
The European peacekeeping force (EUFOR) is to help secure refugee camps along Chad’s border with Sudan’s Darfur region, where fighting since 2003 has left more than 200,000 dead and displaced two million, according to UN figures.
“It is a sign of incompetence on the part of the European Union that the start of such an important mission is being dragged on because of ten helicopters,” Minister Norbert Darabos told the daily Oesterreich.
“If the EU is serious about its role as crisis manager, then ten helicopters should not in fact be a problem,” he added.
The European Union was expected to send some 3,500 troops to Chad in November but logistical problems have delayed their deployment, with some countries reluctant, for example, to provide vital resources such as helicopters.
Darabos said recently that the Austrian contingent of 160 troops would probably not leave before next month. France is sending the biggest contingent of troops – 1,500 in all – but contributions are also expected from other countries including Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.
(AFP)