Mali, Iraq, Syria and more - Background on EU Foreign Affairs Council - 18 February

15/2/2013 EU source: Council Ref: CL13-018EN

Summary: 15 February 2013, Brussels - On Monday, 18 February 2013, the EU's Foreign Affairs Council will meet from 9.30 onwards on 18 February, chaired by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton.

The Council will discuss the situation in

Mali and EU action to support Mali.

Ministers will examine the implementation of the EU's Eastern Partnership, in preparation for upcoming meetings with the EU's Eastern Partners.

Ministers will also discuss the latest developments in Iraq.

The Council will debate events in the EU's southern neighbourhood and take stock of the Middle East peace process.

A press conference will be held at the end of the meeting (+/- 16.00).

The Northern Dimension ministerial meeting will be held from 18.30, with the participation of Iceland, Norway and Russia.

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Mali

The Council will take stock of the situation in Mali. It will adopt conclusions.

The EU has mobilised political and diplomatic action in response to the crisis including: a training mission for the Malian Armed Forces, funding for the African-Led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA), humanitarian and development aid.

The EU has welcomed the adoption of a roadmap by the Malian government, designed to restore constitutional order through an election process, and has encouraged inclusive dialogue with representatives of the people of the north of Mali, including non-terrorist groups which recognise the unity, integrity and territorial sovereignty of Mali.

On 5 February, the EU hosted a meeting of the support and follow-up group on the situation in Mali. The advance of the Malian armed forces, supported by France and the region, against the terrorist groups in the north of Mali was welcomed. Members also commended the Malian transitional authorities on the adoption of the roadmap for the transition and they encouraged them to implement it faithfully and with resolve.

The EU training mission in Mali is intended to help restore the military capacity of the Malian Armed Forces in order to allow, under civilian authority, the restoration of the country's territorial integrity. It will provide basic military training as well as train and advise the Malian forces on command and control, logistics, human resources as well as on international humanitarian law, the protection of civilians and human rights. The mission will not be involved in combat operations.

The EU has committed €50 million from the African Peace Facility to support the deployment of AFISMA. It has also established a "clearing house" mechanism to coordinate other military support of member states and other international partners to AFISMA, including the transportation of equipment, personnel and ammunition.

EU development aid, partly suspended since the coup d'état of 22 March 2012, will be gradually resumed as a consequence of the adoption of the roadmap for the transition. €250 million may be mobilised, mainly for restoring democracy and peace through reconciliation, conflict prevention and supporting the electoral process. In addition, food security, water and sanitation and relaunching the economy will be the focus of cooperation.

The political crisis in Mali comes in addition to the already serious Sahel food crisis in 2012, which affected nearly 18 million people in the region. So far in 2013, the European Commission has allocated € 20 million as humanitarian aid for Mali. In 2012, the EU and its member states contributed € 111 million to humanitarian operations in that country.

For more details, see factsheet European Union and the Sahel and factsheet EUTM Mali.

Eastern Partnership

The Council will take stock of the implementation of the EU's Eastern Partnership, in preparation for the Eastern Partnership foreign ministers meeting in July in Brussels and the summit in Vilnius in November.

The Council is due to reaffirm the importance it attaches to the Eastern Partnership and its objectives. It is expected to adopt conclusions.

The EU's Eastern Partnership was launched at the Prague Eastern Partnership summit in May 2009.

It concerns six partner countries in Eastern Europe and the Southern Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Its objectives include accelerating the political association and deepening the economic integration with the Eastern European partner countries.

The EU supports reforms in the partner countries aimed at consolidating democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and an open market economy. At the same time, it offers gradual integration into the European economy, greater mobility for citizens and closer political ties. In the period from 2010 to 2013, € 1.9 billion is allocated to support its implementation.

The Eastern Partnership provides for Association Agreements with each of the states, which are to replace the existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreements. The new accords are to include deep and comprehensive free trade agreements. Negotiations have been launched with Moldova,

Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia and concluded with Ukraine. The European Council of 7/8 February called for the finalisation of negotiations with Moldova, Georgia and Armenia by the time of the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius (see conclusions, para 8).

Greater mobility of citizens is a core objective of the Eastern Partnership. Agreements on visa facilitation and readmission were signed with Armenia in December 2012, with Georgia in June 2010 and with the Ukraine in June 2007. Negotiations for such an agreement with Azerbaijan have been ongoing since March 2012. Visa-free travel is a second step, provided that conditions for well managed and secure mobility are in place. Both the Ukraine and Moldova are currently conducting a dialogue on visa-free travel with the EU.

Iraq

The Council will exchange views on the situation in Iraq, which has become increasingly fragile recently. Inter alia, President Talabani had suffered a serious stroke and cannot fulfil his important function of mediation between political actors. Ministers will consider how the EU can contribute to promoting stability in the country, together with the UN through the UN assistance mission for Iraq.

The EU is committed in assisting the building of the new Iraq since 2003, and has devoted a total of more than €1 billion towards the reconstruction of Iraq since then. Focal sectors of EU intervention are good governance, socio-economic recovery, education, strengthening institutional capacity, water management, agriculture, access to basic services and the rule of law through its EUJUST LEX mission.

The EU-Iraq Partnership and Cooperation Agreement was signed on 11 May 2012. It is the first ever framework agreement between the EU and Iraq. It provides for a comprehensive platform for enhancing cooperation in a wide range of areas: from political matters, such as countering terrorism and promoting human rights, to trade and investment in key areas such as energy and services. The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishes regular political dialogue on bilateral, regional and global issues. Work is underway to establish the relevant joint bodies as provided for in this agreement.

Southern neighbourhood

- Syria

The Council will discuss the latest developments in Syria, including efforts by Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi to bring an end to the violence, support to the Syrian opposition and EU sanctions policy. The Council is expected to adopt conclusions.

The European Council of 7/8 February recalled its tasking to the Foreign Affairs Council to "work on all options to support and help the opposition and to enable greater support for the protection of civilians". (see conclusions)

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 780.000 Syrian refugees have arrived in the neighbouring countries Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey as well as in Egypt and North Africa. At the same time, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates the number of internally displaced persons in Syria at more than 2 million. The death toll is close to 70.000, says the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The EU is the largest humanitarian donor for the Syrian crisis. So far, the EU and its member states have given more than € 423 million in humanitarian assistance to Syrians inside and outside of Syria. The funds mostly go to food assistance, shelters and emergency healthcare.

The Council has gradually reinforced EU restrictive measures against the Syrian regime. For more details, see  factsheet European Union and Syria.

Middle East peace process

The Council will discuss the state of play concerning the Middle East peace process and discuss how the EU can support it, following the Israeli elections.

On 10 December 2012, the Council stated "the European Union firmly believes that now is the time to take bold and concrete steps towards peace. The parties must engage in direct and substantial negotiations without pre-conditions in order to achieve a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ending all claims."

It also underlined "the urgency of renewed, structured and substantial peace efforts in 2013 and, towards this end, it is ready to work with the US and other international partners, including within the Quartet."

See Council conclusions.

Other items

The Council is set to adopt several items without discussion, including:

- Democratic People's Republic of Korea

The Council is expected to adopt conclusions on DPRK, condemning in the strongest terms the nuclear test conducted on 12 February. In response to DPRK's recent violations of its international obligations, the Council is due to strengthen EU restrictive measures against DPRK. It will implement sanctions approved at UN level and is expected to adopt further autonomous EU restrictive measures in addition to those contained in UN Security Council Resolution 2087 of 22 January.

- EU priorities for the UN Human Rights Fora

In conclusions, the Council is expected to define the EU's priorities at the UN Human Rights Council and in other UN human rights fora in 2013. It will underline that the EU will continue to speak out against human rights violations worldwide.