Headline: French withdrawal from Mali prompts European countries to question their commitment
Audio 05:19
French troops from Barkhane at the Gao base in Mali.
(file photo) © AP/Jérôme Delay
By: Véronique Rigolet Follow
4 mins
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Even if the European Union yesterday reaffirmed its desire to remain "
engaged in the Sahelian region
" to combat jihadist terrorism, underlines
La Repubblica
, "
there is still no agreement between the dozen European countries whose Italy which participates in the Takuba operational force in support of the French
", notes the Italian daily, arguing that these countries "
will have to check the rules of engagement and the conditions for a new intervention
" outside Mali, in the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa.
“
And it already seems difficult to envisage that the current format be reproduced in another country
”, further argues
La Repubblica
.
The question will (of course) be part of “
the summit discussions between the EU and the African governments meeting today in Brussels
”, notes
Die Welt
, which also wonders about the future of the German military commitment.
"
After the French withdrawal, Berlin must ask itself the question whether an additional commitment still makes sense
", comments more curtly the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
, the
FAZ,
which notes that "
the German government leaves open for the moment the future of German military missions
", while wondering "
if this is still the best way to stabilize the region
".
Committed Europeans still allow themselves time for reflection.
"
The terms of the new joint action in the region will be defined by next June
," said the Spanish daily
El Pais
.
Sudden rise in tensions in eastern Ukraine
Blame it on Putin, accuses
Die Welt
which, after having "
played the prince of peace
" has returned to "
provocation
" mode with "
the expulsion of the deputy American ambassador to Moscow, and new demands on the United States accompanied by military and technical threats
”, underlines the German daily.
All this against the backdrop of an upsurge in attacks in the Donbass, on the eastern front of Ukraine "
where pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian soldiers accuse each other of the bombing of a kindergarten
", adds
El Pais
.
No child was affected, argues the
New York Times
, which publishes images of a devastated classroom on the front page and directly accuses "
pro-Russian forces of being at the origin of this bombardment
" .
, “
an attempt to incite conflict
”, comments the American daily “
exactly the kind of incident Moscow is looking for to serve as a pretext for an invasion
”, still denounces the
Post
.
As the security conference opens in Munich, where international leaders and diplomats will discuss the Ukrainian crisis, this "
brutal escalation on the front line
" is part
of the Kremlin 's "
strategy of tension
", analyzes the
Washington Post
, which notes that President Biden "
will meet today with key Western leaders
".
Japan reopens borders after two years of strict lockdown
It's official, rejoices the
Japan Times
, "
Japan is relaxing its entry restrictions for foreign students and business travel
", while the country has kept its borders closed since March 2020. "
This openness to the world
“, nevertheless remains very cautious and excludes in particular the return of tourists, further notes the Japanese daily, which details an entry ceiling also limited to “
5,000
people per day
”.
While "
147,000
students are still waiting to be able to return to the country
", this first step is in any case welcomed "
by the business community, academics and politicians
", who had denounced a lockdown "
harmful to the economy and to the international image
” of the country, reports for its part the correspondent of the
Guardian
.
This policy of isolation "
has caused significant damage to the national interest of Japan
", also believes the
Asahi Shimbun
, which calls on the authorities "
to regain the confidence of the international community as quickly as possible by opening the borders of the country even wider. country
”.
Tribute to American pilot Gail Halvorsen, the “Candy Bomber” of the Cold War
A "
true legend
", Gail Halvorsen who has just passed away at the age of 101, and who will forever remain the "
Candy Bomber", "
the one who had the idea to drop candy, chocolate and chewing gum for the children of West Berlin during the Berlin airlift in 1948 in the middle of the Soviet blockade
", underlines the
New York Times
.
A total of 23 tons of sweets were parachuted to the children, "
symbolizing the reconciliation between the German people and the Allies
" in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Since 2013, “
a school bears his name in Berlin
”, where he has been honored many times, underlines
Die Welt
.
"
Halvorsen has built a bridge of humanity and compassion between Americans and Berliners
," said German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
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