Ana Gomes (S&D ). - Madam President, it is not just economic. Above all it is political, as shown in the slow motion in enacting the CSDP mission decided by the Council last July in answer to the request by Mali to organise the armed forces and stop the progress of AQMI on the back of the Tuareg rebellion. Despite the calls by the EP and the ACP JPP, despite the EU Sahel Strategy, the EU was not found on the ground responding to the UN Security Council's repeated calls for urgent international support. Last week we heard the President of the African Union calling for help from NATO.

It is now mandatory that all EU Member States and institutions rush in solidarity in all forms, including boots on the ground, with the initiative of France, supporting the African Union-led regional forces, in the lead. At stake is not just the protection of the people of Mali and the integrity of their country, at stake is Europe's own security, our people, our interests, threatened by the terrorist group AQMI with its links to Nigeria, Somalia, and all sorts of criminal networks operating in West Africa. The solution cannot just be military. The political implications of the Tuareg rebellion and other conflicts in the region, from Western Sahara to Guinea-Bissau, must be part of a comprehensive strategy for peace, development and good governance in this region so close to Europe.

Merci la France et les soldats français!