'5+5' defence meeting addresses ransom payments

[AFP/ Ahmed Ould] Defence ministers of the “5+5” group gathered in Nouakchott on December 11th.

Defence ministers of the ten Mediterranean countries last week-end in Nouakchott adopted an action plan for next year and assessed the implementation of this year’s activities.

Officials from Mauritania, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, France, Spain, Malta, Portugal and Italy gathered for the 7th “5+5” co-operation initiative defence meeting, which ended last Sunday.

They discussed the fight against terrorism, organised crime and illegal immigration as well as topics related to air security, marine monitoring and protection of civilians in cases of disasters.

“Participants were able to exchange views and perspectives on issues of security and defence, and the presence of all the defence ministers affirms their keenness to reach the goals of the ‘5+5’ Group in achieving security in the region of the western Mediterranean,” said Mauritanian Defence Minister Ahmed Ould Mohamed Radhi at a joint press conference with his Moroccan counterpart Abdellatif Loudiyi and Libyan Undersecretary of Defence Yusuf Ahmed Al-Maghouch.

“Several training courses were completed, and joint exercises among the countries of the two shores of the western Mediterranean were held for the first time,” Ould Mohamed Radhi said, describing the activities of the group as a “success” in 2011.

Still, challenges abound, he noted.

“The western Mediterranean region faces the dangers of terrorism, illegal immigration and drug and weapons trafficking, and recent events in the region precipitated increasing threats as a result of the spread of weapons, which may have reached the hands of terrorist networks,” Ould Mohamed Radhi said.

Terror funding and continued kidnappings remain the core security concerns.

“I ask everyone to work to dry up the sources of terrorism and to push the kidnappers into a corner by not paying ransom,” he said.

On the issue of Libya arms, Al-Maghouch said that weapons of former rebels who came to power are “in safe hands” and “pose no danger to the stability and security of Libya”.

For his part, French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said that his country supported Mauritania’s “desire to control the border so as not to be a conduit for smugglers and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb”.

He reiterated that France did not seek to intervene in the region but its role would be “limited to co-operation”. Sahel states are independent nations and are responsible for controlling their border, the minister said.

“We do not want direct responsibility in this region, and what happened in Libya was with a UN mandate,” Longuet said. “But if these nations have a desire to make a specific request to us in this regard, we will examine this request.”

According to Longuet, the Nouakchott meeting “provided an opportunity to build bridges again with the defence ministers of Libya and Tunisia after the regime changes in both countries.”

Political analyst Sheikh Ould Mohamed argued that Longuet’s remarks were aimed at Algeria, which “rejects any foreign intervention to counter terrorism in the Sahel”.

France is “trying to convince them of the need for joint security co-ordination, as the dangers affect everyone,” he said. “But it also wants to assure them that France will not participate militarily, unlike Britain, whose foreign affairs minister spoke about the possibility of limited military intervention in the region.”