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WikiLeaks, 25 May 2015
EU plan for military intervention against "refugee boats" in
Libya and the Mediterranean
Today, WikiLeaks
is releasing two classified EU documents, outlining the planned
military intervention against boats travelling from Libya to
Italy. The more significant of the two documents was written by
the combined military defence chiefs of the EU member states.
The plan was formally
approved by representatives from all 28 countries on 18 May
2015.
Importantly,
one of the documents acknowledges that "the political End State
[of the military intervention] is not clearly defined" and
recommends that the European Commission issue further guidance.
The documents lay
out a military operation against cross-Mediterranean refugee
transport networks and infrastructure. It details plans to
conduct military operations to destroy boats used for
transporting migrants and refugees in Libyan territory, thereby
preventing them from reaching Europe. The EU member states'
military chiefs advice is that there is a need to:
"[draw] on the full
range of surveillance, intelligence and information capabilities
available to MS [member states] and Partners, and supported by
Brussels (inter alia EEAS [European External Action Service]
Single Intelligence Analysis Capacity – SIAC)".
The plan also
acknowledges the possibility of EU military use of force against
groups such as ISIL "within the Libyan sovereign area":
"the threat to the
force should be acknowledged, especially during activities such
as boarding and when operating on land or in proximity to an
unsecured coastline, or during interaction with non-seaworthy
vessels. The potential presence of hostile forces, extremists or
terrorists such as Da'esh [ISIL] should also be taken into
consideration".
The documents
mark a departure from previous EU military strategy in its overt
targeting of civilian infrastructure in Libya. Numerous EU
countries, including Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Greece,
Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the United
Kingdom participated in
NATO-led air strikes on Libya in 2011.
Human rights
organisations have called on the EU not to put the lives of
refugees and migrants
at risk. The plan acknowledges that the EU risks negative
publicity "should loss of life be attributed, correctly or
incorrectly, to action or inaction by the EU force". To manage
this reputational risk, the documents recommend "an EU
information strategy from the outset" in order to "facilitate
expectation management". They also acknowledge the "need to
calibrate military activity" particularly within Libyan waters
or ashore "in order to avoid destabilising the political process
by causing collateral damage, disrupting legitimate economic
activity or creating a perception of having chosen sides".
Boats
transporting people from Libya are the main means for refugees
fleeing conflict in Syria, Eritrea, Afghanistan and the Horn of
Africa to reach safety in Europe. Since the destruction of the
Libyan government in 2011 there has been a sharp increase in the
numbers of refugees travelling to Europe from Libya. In 2014
more than 170,000 people are estimated to have crossed the
Mediterranean from Libya. In 2014, this made up 60 per cent of
the entire irregular migration into the EU.
If you have
additional information on the EU plan,
contact us.
Read the EU defence chiefs' approved plan here
Read the EU Politico-Military Group Advice here
https://wikileaks.org/eu-military-refugees/press.html
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http://www.askanews.it/top-10/immigrati-la-ue-lancia-operazione-navale-contro-trafficanti_711538556.htm
Brussels, 19 June, the ambassadors of the 28 member states
voted the operative plan
of the military mission Eunavfor Med against human trafficking
in Libya.
They’ll launch the operation on 22 June during the European
Council of Foreign Affairs in Brussels.
The
operation headquarter will be in Rome and will be headed by
Italian Admiral Enrico Credendino.
http://www.asgi.it/ultime-notizie/eunavfor-med-loperazione-militare-dellue-nel-mediterraneo-in-gazzetta-europea
[SUMMARY]
It will
consist of three phases:
1)
stopping, inspecting, confiscating and diverting boats
suspected of trafficking in international waters [no need for
the UN or Libya’s consent.]
2)
stopping, inspecting, confiscating and diverting also in
Libya’s territorial waters [needs consent from the UN or
Libya, and Libya already said no.]
3)
adoption of all necessary measures against the boats,
including putting them out of action [needs consent from the
UN or Libya, and Libya already said no.]
The Italian Radio
said that the three main governments involved are Italy, Germany
and UK
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