EU: Germany has insisted an EU military force in the Democratic Republic of Congo should leave as planned on November 30th despite the threat of violence following the upcoming elections.
The 1,000-strong peace mission, which includes a handful of Irish troops, is due to leave just days after the announcement of results in Congo's first free elections for more than 40 years.
A second stage of elections, involving a run-off between President Joseph Kabila and vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba, will take place on October 29th with results due a few weeks later.
Berlin, which is leading the EU force despite strong opposition among deputies in the German parliament, is seeking the early return of troops.
At a meeting of EU defence ministers yesterday in Finland, German defence minister Franz Jung said the planned November 30th date for withdrawal of the mission should remain.
"I think we should stick with November 30th," he said, while declining to speculate on whether new troubles could be expected. However, the electoral commission organising Congo's elections has said that EU troops should stay longer to prevent any possible upsurge in violence following the elections.
"We never know what is going to happen so they [ the EU force] absolutely must stay on," said Dieudonne Mirimo, spokesman for the election commission. "They should stay until the installation of the new government. This will happen by the end of the year."
France, the other major contributor to the force, said it could envisage an extension of up to a month if the UN - whose troops the EU is supporting - requested it in a new resolution.
"We could envisage staying there until the end of the year if need be. But France does not believe that EU missions should be extended indefinitely," an aide to defence minister Michele Alliot-Marie said.
Christian Damay, the French commander of operations in Kinshasa, said recently troops should remain at least until the December 10th swearing-in of a new president. Minister of Defence Willie O'Dea did not travel to Finland for the meeting.