France and US at odds over Mali force

UNITED NATIONS: France circulated a UN Security Council resolution Monday that would authorize the deployment of an African-led force to oust Al-Qaeda and allied militants who have seized northern Mali, but the United States wants the troops to be trained first for desert warfare, UN diplomats said.
There is agreement in the UN’s most powerful body that there must be a two-track solution, political and military, to try to wrest control of the north — an area the size of Texas — and successfully reunite Mali.
The Security Council is united on the need for a roadmap for a political transition, the diplomats said. But it is divided on the speed of military action, with the US recommending a slower, two-stage authorization process, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the draft and proposed US amendments have not been made public.
France, backed by African nations, supports a single, resolution that would authorize the training and deployment of Malian and African troops. But the US — backed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon — wants a slower military process because it is concerned about the African soldiers’ lack of training in desert fighting, their capabilities, and equipment, the diplomats said.
Mali was plunged into turmoil in March after a coup in the capital of Bamako created a security vacuum. That allowed the secular Tuaregs, who have long felt marginalized by Mali’s government, to take half the North as a new homeland. But months later, the rebels were ousted by Islamist groups allied with Al-Qaeda. The Islamists have now imposed strict Shariah law in the north.
On Nov. 13, the African Union asked the Security Council to endorse a military intervention to free northern Mali. African nations have since been lobbying for speedy authorization. The plan, agreed to by leaders of the West African bloc known as ECOWAS, calls for 3,300 soldiers to be deployed to Mali for an initial period of one year.
In a report to the Security Council late last month, Ban reacted cautiously to the proposal, saying fundamental questions on how the international force and Malian security and defense force “would be led, sustained, trained, equipped and financed remain unanswered.” He added that outside support will be needed to train, equip, and provide logistics and funding for both forces.
The French draft would authorize the African-led International Support Mission for Mali, which would be known as AFISMA, and include provisions for training and political reconciliation, the diplomats said.
The US has proposed three amendments to the French draft which would keep the political and training elements but leave the military authorization for a second resolution.
The key US amendment would express the Security Council’s intention to authorize AFISMA to conduct Africa-led counterterrorism operations in the north of Mali using “all necessary measures,” one diplomat said.
It would require the secretary-general to immediately provide military and security planners to assist ECOWAS and the African Union, in close consultation with Mali, its neighbors and regional countries, and all other interested bilateral partners and international organizations “in the joint planning effort to refine the strategic concept,” the diplomat said.
The US amendment asks the secretary-general to report to the council within 45 days on the details of such a mission, including who will provide troops, its objectives, command and control, logistics and cost estimate, the diplomat said.
Experts from the 15 council nations are scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss the French text and the proposed amendments, the diplomats said.
UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said Friday he doesn’t expect a military offensive to oust Al-Qaeda to begin until September or October of next year because of the need for training and the rainy season in Mali.
The top US military commander in Africa, Army Gen. Carter Ham, warned last week against any premature military action.
He stressed that negotiations are the best way and said that any military intervention done now would likely fail and set the precarious situation in northern Mali back “even farther than they are today.”