US, French defence officials discuss International efforts in Africa

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met at the Pentagon with French Defense Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian during which they discussed defense concerns and issues that are of mutual interest. Hagel told reporters during a joint press conference with his French counterpart, late on Friday, that "one area of focus today was our continuing cooperation and support of our international efforts in Africa, including significant French contributions in Mali and the Central African Republic." Hagel commended Le Drian for his country's "leadership and taking decisive action in Mali, as well as other locations, to displace extremists that were gaining a foothold there," in addition to France's leadership "in helping the African Union's international support mission to provide humanitarian assistance in the Central African Republic (CAR)." "The United States has been and remains committed to supporting efforts to protect civilians, prevent further atrocities, and provide humanitarian assistance in the Central African Republic," Hagel affirmed. He indicated that he discussed with the French minister "ways we can continue working together in Africa and other locations to address shared interests and challenges going forward, including its support of crisis response and counterterrorism efforts." For his part, Le Drian thanked Hagel for the "indispensable support that the United States gave both for France, but also gave to the UN missions, the African missions during these operations both in Mali and in the Central African Republic." He noted that he explained to Hagel "the new military positioning of French forces in Africa, which we're going to set up in order to better identify and better target terrorist threats in this huge area, which goes from Mauritania to the Horn of Africa." On Libya, France's Defense Minister shed light on the "concentrations of terrorist groups in the south of Libya," saying "this has been accelerated through the French intervention in Mali." He affirmed "we keep on supporting the transition authorities. And the coming weeks will be crucial for the stability of this country. And it seems to me that it is essential to bring about the constitutional system." "We need to have political conditions in order to achieve anything. And we all agree on that," he remarked. He stressed "the Libyan state is very fragile. And in Libya, there are many militias that are very often as well-equipped as the army or the police." "So there's a question of security, which is a problem, and the population is exasperated. And there could be an explosion of violence, and the situation doesn't allow to fight against the terrorist groups the way we should do," he emphasized. He reiterated "we are faced with a situation that is extremely fragile," stressing the importance for the international community "to be aware of the risks. "The solution goes through a political stabilization, but also through support to secure the borders, which are very porous, and also we need to support the regular Libyan arm," he noted. The French minister added "it is going to be a long-term task. And this should mobilize a common vigilance to avoid going back through a new cycle of terrorism in an area which is already extremely fragile.