ESDP: FACT FINDING MISSIONS TO THE DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC) AND LEBANON
Letter from Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP, Minister
for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Chairman
Further to my letter of 18 September 2006[56]
regarding the prospect of an ESDP Security Sector Reform (SSR)
mission in the DRC, the Council Secretariat and Commission have
now decided to send a joint Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) to the
DRC. This is taking place between 8 and 14 October. The aim of
the FFM is to establish an objective view of what work could and
should be done, and how this could be divided up between the Commission
and the Council. A joint report will then be issued, recommending
a way ahead for EU activity in SSR in the DRC.
Separately, the Political and Security Committee
of the Council has asked the Council Secretariat to undertake
a technical mission to evaluate what support the Lebanese Government
and Armed Forces need in the security sector. Arrangements are
in hand on this. No date has yet been set for the visit, but in
view of the urgent need to ensure that UN Security Council Resolution
1701 can be fully implemented, it is expected that the mission
will proceed around mid-October.
I will, of course, keep you informed of any
concrete proposals to launch an ESDP mission to either Lebanon
or the DRC.
16 October 2006
56 Correspondence with Ministers, 40th Report of Session
2006-07, HL Paper 187, p161. Back
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