French President Francois Hollande speaks to soldiers flanked by Justice
minister Christiane Taubira and Foreign minister Laurent Fabius on
December 10, 2013 in Bangui. PHOTO | SIA KAMBOU
AFP
SAO PAULO
French
President Francois Hollande called Thursday for a "permanent European
fund" to finance emergency interventions in crises such as the situation
in the Central African Republic.
Hollande said he
would request the fund, which would be used before peacekeeping
operations are in place in crisis zones, during next week's European
Council meeting in Brussels.
"Europe does a lot but it
only intervenes from time to time. We need a permanent European fund,
not a fund for each individual operation," he said during a state visit
to Brazil.
France has deployed 1,600 soldiers to the
notoriously unstable majority-Christian country, which was plunged into
chaos when the mainly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in a March coup,
overthrowing leader Francois Bozize. (READ: CAR fighters flee French into Darfur)
The troops are part of a United Nations-mandated effort to restore order.
Two
French troops were killed Monday during clashes near the airport in the
capital Bangui. Hollande visited the country following the incident.
(READ: Two French soldiers killed in Central Africa violence)
"This
is not about us (France) providing the armed forces on the ground and
demanding that we be paid. We are neither the mercenaries nor the police
of Europe," Hollande said.
"I did not come to power to
make war. It's the circumstances" that led to French operations in Mali
and the Central African Republic.
What started as
rebel looting of villages and towns in the Central African Republic has
degenerated into attacks between Muslim and Christian militias, with
some UN officials warning of a possible genocide.
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