Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle spoke on the phone today with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius about the situation in Mali. Foreign Minister Westerwelle stressed the German Government’s support for France’s mission in Mali.
Foreign Minister Westerwelle conveyed the German Government’s offer to examine together with the French Government how Germany, while not sending combat troops, can support the French mission in political, logistical, medical and humanitarian terms. The Ministers agreed that the two Governments should consult closely on this.
The two Ministers emphasized the necessity of advancing the plans for an EU mission to train Mali’s armed forces with even greater intensity and as quickly as possible.