EU's Van Rompuy warns of security threat from developments in Mali

The President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, Tuesday warned that developments in Mali pose a threat not only to the region but also to Europe. In a speech to the European Parliament IN the French city of Strasbourg, he noted that EU leaders during their summit last week in Brussels for the first time discussed developments in Mali. "The situation has a security, humanitarian and regional impact on the Sahel. It could also become a threat to our own society and our own security," said Van Rompuy. He said the EU is contributing to the international efforts led by the UN, to stabilise the situation in Mali. "We decided to accelerate our own planning for a possible European military crisis management operation and support to the international military force, in accordance with the recent UN Security Council Resolution 2071," he said. Van Rompuy said EU leaders also discussed the situation in Syria and Iran but he did not mention any details. Most of his speech was devoted to the economic situation in Europe.  "We are still suffering from a lack of growth: 25 million people are unemployed in the Union, especially among young people. Overall growth projections for next year are at best modest, " he said.