The refugee crisis forcing Europe to rethink its role in Syria
(Defensa.com) The European Union is finalizing plans to launch the second phase of military operations in the Mediterranean against trafficking networks that bring Europe to a part of the refugees of Syrian origin. The first phase, which focused on the acquisition of intelligence, will end in September, it is planned that a second envisages a more active role, which involves the implementation of measures to intercept, capture and even destruction of the vessels used by mafias to reach European shores.
This was recently announced by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Italian Federica Mogherini, after the last meeting of European defense ministers. There is already consensus on the start of the second phase, which is expected shortly that a formal decision on the matter will require more resources and take more ships.
The naval mission EUNAVFOR MED began last June 22 in response to the increase of refugees and asylum seekers are coming mainly from Syria, Libya and Iraq, the details published in May. The mission has three phases the first being that is in progress, for the identification of human trafficking networks, gathering information and conducting patrols international waters of the Mediterranean. The second phase involves the participation of naval military means to search, seize or divert ships are at sea that are suspected of being used for this illegal traffic. It is expected that the United Nations Security Council issued a resolution to allow the mission to operate in territorial waters of Libya, the main source of current traffic.
The third and final phase includes the use of the means to "disable" the boats. In this regard it has been taken to modulate the language referring to the possible destruction of these objectives, as they would be in territory of a third country, such as Libya. It has been suggested that air and naval means will be used to destroy or neutralize these vessels, but no ground troops will be deployed, even special forces units.
Acting on Syria
In the same vein French President Francois Hollande, who announced the start of a campaign of reconnaissance flights over Syria to determine targets of Islamic / Daesh attack after State ruled Monday. Hollande acknowledged that the goal is to understand and prevent ongoing plans against France and prevent attacks against the Syrian population. Meanwhile not stop trying to solve the Syrian problem through diplomacy, admitting that the solution probably reserved a role the current president Bashar al-Assad, whom Hollande referred to as "essential". Thus France is expanding its involvement in the Middle East after starting its operations against the Islamic State in Iraq. But the bombing campaign launched by the international coalition is generating poor results on the basis of the activity of the Islamic State and the increased flow of refugees into Europe.
British Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged that the government has taken action in August bombing against specific objectives of the Islamic state in Syria, through UAVs and ending the lives of two British-born terrorists in a stock valued by Cameron as "self-defense" and that opens the door to a possible approval of military action by the United Kingdom within the international coalition decision it requires parliamentary approval.
Meanwhile other international actors take center stage in the Syrian crisis, starting with Russia, which continues to support the Syrian President, United States, and Iran, countries that through their support, either anti-government insurgents or the regime, extend the conflict beyond most refugees entering Europe these days.
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