Romano Prodi: militair ingrijpen in Mali was onontkoombaar (en)

Military action in Mali was necessary according to Romano Prodi. "I always looked towards peace, but the French intervention has proved to be absolutely crucial since [Mali] was on the verge of collapse," the UN special envoy for the Sahel told the EP's foreign affairs and development committees and security and defence sub-committee on Monday 8 April. Mr Prodi was at the Parliament to discuss the situation in the Sahel, an African region blighted by poverty, food scarcity and terrorism.

Mali: from a military intervention to elections

Mr Prodi called the French military intervention in Mali "inevitable", but stressed that there was a need to launch a process of reconciliation. It was also important to ensure the upcoming elections in Mali in July 2013 run smoothly. "I am aware that if we don't make a quick start of elections [now] they will never happen," the former president of the European Commission said.

Arnaud Danjean i, a French member of the EPP group and chair of the security and defence subcommittee, stressed that time was of the essence. "France wants its troops back in France as soon as possible," he said. "We need this to fit in to the electoral process."

Need for regional approach

The Sahel is a troubled region that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to Eritrea and which covers large parts of Mali. Mr Prodi said it would be wrong to focus on individual countries without bearing in mind the regional context. "You need to have a regional approach," he said.

Ioan Mircea Paşcu i, a Romanian member of the S&D group and vice-chair of the foreign affairs committee, pointed out that the EU has its own strategy for the Sahel.

The EU is currently helping to train Mali military staff. French Green MEP Eva Jolly, chair of the development committee, commented: "The EU training mission is an important contribution to the long term reform of the Malian army and the democratic and civilian control."

MEPs also raised concerns over the terrorism threat in the region and the situation in Western Sahara. The meeting was followed by representatives of parliaments from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, namely the chairs of their foreign affairs committees.