By The Daily Journalist.
The European Union is ready for a military mission to combat trafficking with migrants in the Mediterranean and hopes to formally approve in a week.
The operation will consider “all necessary means”, including enforcement action, to try to destroy the business of those who extort foreign that lead to Europe from Libya. High Representative for European Foreign Policy, Frederica Mogherini informed monday morning in the New York Security Council of the UN, whose mandate is expected later this week.
With the explicit mandate of the 28th in late April, the EU diplomatic service has designed the outlines of a mission expected to launch in late June, according to a senior official of the EU diplomacy. Mogherini believed to have overcome resistance from China and Russia, members of the Security Council for this operation in a foreign country with European sovereignty.
The Russian ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, said this week that his country would not accept the concrete idea of destroying ships, but a strike action involving networks of these traffickers. Without the unanimity of the Security Council, the initiative would have to wait, as the political unrest in Libya prevents attempt pactarla with the authorities of that country.
To achieve the consent of the UN, the EU is willing to give, the mandate of the operation to destroy the star idea barges, but the fact of seeing all necessary means to sink the business mafias opens the door to Boat eventual destruction by bombing or other military means.
The sources say that in the event that the ship has no flag, could be done more easily, while for vessels flying the flag of a country should have the authorization of that State. At least six countries, including Italy, Spain and the UK, have already confirmed their participation in this project, because it is a delicate operation involved again in the Libyan nest, even to blow up the business of immigrant smugglers.
The military intervention of 2011, initiated by European countries and later assumed by NATO, ended with the fall of Muammar Gaddafi but did not prevent the collapse of the country.
At least six countries, including Italy, Spain and the UK, have already committed their participation, European diplomacy is aware that the militias who impose their rules in Libya and extremists acting on behalf of the Islamic State may allow European troops to face difficult situations, but insist in framing its action in the fight against mafias and immigrants and ensure that in no case will be European ground troops in Libya.
So far this year, civil ships deployed by Frontex off the coasts of Italy have twice shot traffickers as they prepared to save immigrants. That has convinced the European foreign service that needed a military deployment in the Mediterranean to deal with the mafias. Last year, 170,000 people arrived on Italian shores, a record that could be overcomed this year.
As a country most affected by the immigration drama and closer to Libya, Italy will host the headquarters of this mission, which will also be responsible to an Italian military. Size Other details of the operation, duration and location of concrete-deployment they have not yet been disclosed.
Following bilateral talks that has kept Mogherini with the Chinese and Russian representatives, the high representative hopes to get support for the deployment later this week. With this guarantee, the foreign ministers, who will meet on Monday in Brussels, will have to give its approval to the operation and would be formally launched on 25 June at the summit of heads of state and government must give the final political authorization.
