Serbian army to take part in Mali peace mission

Members of the Serbian Armed Forces will likely take part in an EU peacekeeping mission in Mali, provided the parliament approves a government decision at a session which begins Wednesday.

According to the proposal, 13 members of the Serbian army will be tasked with training Mali military and security forces to build their capability for re-establishing the country's territorial integrity, fight secessionism, terrorism and organized crime.

The EU mission in Mali will not carry out combat operations and will last 15 months from the date it is approved by the Council of the EU.

In the explanation of the decision, the Serbian government wrote the political and security situation in Mali is extremely complex, because the central government still has not established control over the entire territory.

The most significant security risk for Serbian soldiers are actions of rebel groups and other threats mostly related to climate, so the engagement of Serbian forces can be considered a moderate risk.

The realization will cost just over RSD 75 million and the funding has been set aside in the 2013 budget.

Belgrade Tanjug