Former World Figures Turn to Eu for Peacekeepers in Dr Congo

A group of former world leaders and human rights activists today called for the dispatch of an EU force to stop "the greatest loss of life on the face of the earth" in the Democratic Republic of Congo.Britain and other European states have opposed sending a European battle group to DRC, arguing that the existing UN force, Monuc, should deal with the turmoil there. But the 3,000 reinforcements requested by the UN to bolster its 17,000-strong force have not been forthcoming, while the death toll continues to mount.Today's appeal came in the form of an open letter to Gordon Brown and other European leaders. It was signed by the former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, and the former South African leader FW de Klerk, as well as the Nobel peace prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu among others."We urge you to speedily agree to the temporary deployment of an EU force. This would help protect the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians at risk," the letter says. "It needs your personal political leadership to make sure this happens and ensure 'never again' really means never again."Another signatory, Jan Egeland, the former UN special envoy on humanitarian affairs, told The Guardian: "This is far worse than anything else on the face of earth and yet the response seems to be like a seminar."More than five million people have been killed since the early 1990s when the Rwandan genocide spilled into what was then Zaire. Up to 45,000 civilians are estimated to be dying each month as a result of the chaos in the eastern part of the country."This is the biggest loss of life of our watch, three years after our leaders solemnly swore to uphold to the responsibility to protect. If they didn't believe it they shouldn't have voted for it," Egeland said, referring to the joint declaration at a 2005 UN summit.The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said he had written to all potential troop contributors to the Monuc mission, urging them to dispatch reinforcements.

"We have been prepared to put up extra money for that to happen," Brown said.Since last year, there have been two joint EU battle groups (of about 1,500 troops) ready to deploy at short notice. But a Downing Street official said yesterday Britain opposed the deployment of a battle group."It's best done through through the UN system," the official said. "We don't really want to have two separate organizations on the ground and two parallel command structures. The battle groups were designed to go into crisis areas as a stopgap until other peace keepers could get on the ground.

"There is already a force in DRC. To send an EU battle group under these circumstances would involve going back to all the nations and renegotiating its terms."The official said that Britain was willing to send specialized officers to help coordinate the Monuc mission but that the British army was too overstretched in Afghanistan and Iraq to send a substantial force.No European country has sent soldiers to Monuc, which is made up mainly of Asian troops. Irish and Nordic units that recently returned from Liberia may be sent but their governments have not confirmed deployment."Europe is saying it that it should be Asians who should do job in our old colonial backyard," Egeland said.