EU/Congo: The EU has agreed in principle to send a 450-strong military mission to safeguard upcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Diplomats said yesterday the EU had agreed to deploy the troops as part of a German-led mission that will support an existing UN force of 17,000 peacekeepers.
About 10 members of the Irish Defence Forces are expected to join the EU force, which has taken several weeks to arrange.
Several states refused to send troops due to existing commitments in places such as Iraq, while others were concerned about Congo instability.
However, diplomats signalled yesterday it was almost certain that EU leaders will formally announce the mission on the final day of an EU summit in Brussels tomorrow.
The EU mission is expected to consist of a core group of at least 450 troops stationed in the Congo and a secondary "over-the-horizon" force based outside the Congo. It is still unclear where these troops will be based. European development commissioner Louis Michel said yesterday the bulk of the military mission should be placed close to the Congo to act as a deterrent.
The scheduled elections in June will be the Congo's first free presidential and parliamentary vote since independence in 1961.