Germany is ready to commit troops to a United
Nations mission to Mali, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said
Saturday during a visit to the Ghanaian capital Accra.
Noting that the German parliament would have the last word
on the actual deployment, Westerwelle added that the two previous engagements
in Mali allowed up to 330 German troops, mainly for logistical help and EU
training missions.
The UN Security Council decided Thursday to send a
peacekeeping force to Mali to help the government face Islamist rebels in the
north and restore stability.
The force, composed of more than 12 000 troops and police,
is expected to replace the 6 000-strong African Union-led mission by July. The
African forces had been assisting Mali since last year. France is pulling out
most of its around 4 000 troops deployed in January.
Westerwelle is in Ghana on the first leg of a five-day
Africa tour that will also see him visit South Africa and Mozambique.
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