Finland Times

Helsinki, January 19 – Foreign Affairs Council of European Union has decided to establish a mission to train up Malian military after Islamist rebels had captured a strategically important town of Konna, officials said.
General François Lecointre of France was assigned as commander of the mission with the preparations to set up the mission at an accelerated pace to ensure deployment of forces no later than mid-February, a Finnish foreign office release said on Friday.

The decision to set up the mission came at an extra ordinary meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. The meeting took stock of the situation in Mali where the military forces have started recapturing Konna.

The meeting discussed the latest situation and the EU's future actions, led by Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Foreign Minister Tieman Hubert Coulibaly of Mali was invited to the meeting as a guest.
The EU condemns the attacks by terrorist groups against the army of Mali as the attacks pose a threat to the country's territorial integrity and safety.
The EU welcomes the efforts of regional actors, the international community and France to stabilise the situation. The EU's financial support is being prepared for the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA). The EU underlines the necessity of a political process to ensure permanent stability in Mali and encourages broad national dialogue between the groups. The EU is also ready to review the prerequisites for a gradual resumption of development cooperation in Mali.

France began its intervention in Mali a week ago because of the rebel takeover of the town north of the capital. Fighting between the Islamists rebels and the military has forced some 150,000 people to flee their homes while the UN refugee agency fear that some 700,000 Malians might be evicted from their homesteads if the situation escalates, Finland was represented at the meeting by Permanent Representative Jan Store.