Africa must be ‘top priority’ for new EU crisis force
By Christopher Adams
ADDIS ABABA, Oct 8, 2004 (Financial Times) — Tony Blair, the British prime minister, wants Africa to be the “top priority” for a new European Union military force that could be deployed in crisis areas at short notice.
If fellow European leaders agree, and British officials said there was broad support among member states, the EU rapid reaction force could send troops to intervene in crises such as that in the Darfur region of Sudan if requested.
EU leaders agreed at a summit last year to a French-British initiative to develop joint “battle groups” of about 1,500 soldiers each, which could fly to crisis areas in 10 days and carry out combat missions.
In a speech in Addis Ababa, Mr Blair called on the developed world to unite behind a “noble cause” and help end poverty and conflict in Africa. He was more explicit about the role he saw for the EU-wide force.
“There will be times when Africa cannot stop conflict on its own. Then, the rest of the international community must stand ready to help.
“That is why I want Africa to be the top priority for the EU’s new rapid deployable battle groups and to get them operational, initially, as soon as possible in 2005.”
His remarks suggest there is pressure for the troops to be ready earlier than was envisaged. A target date of 2007 had been set for the first of up to 10 operational groups, though it had been assumed two or three based on contributions from the UK, Italy or France could be ready sooner.
The prime minister’s official spokesman told reporters that the aim was to be able to “hold the fort” in trouble spots until African Union forces, which were at an early stage of development, could take over.
Mr Blair, who was attending a meeting of the Commission for Africa, a British initiative to try to address the continent’s problems, said he would make Africa a priority for Britain’s presidency next year of the Group of Eight leading industrialised nations.
The commission, which includes several heads of government, finance ministers, a central bank governor and Bob Geldof, the musician turned campaigner, is due to report in the spring.
There was a powerful, moral case for tackling poverty, disease and war in Africa, said the prime minister. “I know, however difficult politics is, there is at least one noble cause worth fighting for. It is here in this continent. . . Me and you together as partners, not as someone giving something to someone else, but as equal human beings.”
Gordon Brown, chancellor of the exchequer in Mr Blair’s government, clashed with the European Commission on Thursday over the EU’s aid programme for Africa, claiming it spent too much money in relatively rich regions, George Parker reports from Brussels.
Poul Nielson, the EU aid commissioner, responded with a claim that Mr Brown was guilty of “double standards” and attacked Mr Brown’s proposed new scheme for reducing poverty and debt in the third world, claiming that “it smells too much of Enron accounting”.
Mr Brown said that more than ?28 ($34, £19) a head was being spent on aid in middle-income regions like the western Balkans, while Africa received only ?3.17 a head and Asia just ?0.30.