Former colonial ruler France has said it would be ready to help restore stability in Mali if there was a Security Council resolution. But Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian pushed for a Europe-wide solution during talks with his Italian counterpart Giampaolo Di Paola on Monday in Paris.
"The best solution ... is that Europeans who feel directly concerned by the evolution of the Sahel crisis and that want an overall solution, and not specifically a military one, meet and discuss the possibility of common action for a specific mission," he told reporters after the meeting. ...
West African military chiefs have secured troop commitments from three nations for a Mali intervention force, officials said after a meeting in Ivory Coast.
"With regard to military intervention, we want African (nations) to take the initiative, but once those decisions are taken it would make sense to have significant support and collaboration with Europe," Le Drian said.
So as long as ECOWAS commits troops, the UN Security Council approves, and some other Europeans join, the French are willing to go in.
All for France and France waits for all.
