If wishes were fishes we all swim free

Herve Morin, the French Defence Minister has shown the weakness of the EU's current military capacity in a statement put out for the New Year whilst in Chad.

"French Defence Minister Herve Morin said Monday that he hoped European Union peacekeeping troops will deploy to protect refugees in Chad and the Central African Republic "in the month of January."
Morin told French troops already based in Chad, at Kossei near Ndjamena airport, that he "hopes with all my heart" the long planned EUFOR deployment will now go ahead after being delayed since November."

Of course these 'hopes' are pie in the sky and the deployment is in stasis. Essentialy the EU forces are supposed to be their as peace keepers, which means that they must say at an equidistant space for the warring parties. However the French troops that Msr Morin is visiting have proven themselves to be utterly partisan by leading attacks on rebel forces on behalf of the pro-French Governmen. Given that over 50% of the EU force is to comprise of these French troops it should have come as no surprise when the rebel force declared war both on the France and the EU.

The other major stumbling block is that no EU country is prepared to provide the helicopters required to make the force operative (Though EU Referendum has reported that the hated Yankees are being asked to help). There the November deployment was delayed indefinately.

Now the French are praying that the EU wil start to pick up the butcher's bill for their own post colonial abitions, but without the logisical back up required. They can keep on wishing as I cannot see the Irish and others putting their own soldiers in danger.