Posted on 11/17/2015 4:34:47 PM PST by markomalley
France made history by being the first country in the European Union to invoke the mutual defense clause following the brutal attacks in Paris.
The French defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian invoked article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union while in Brussels, USA Today reports.
According to the text of the clause, “if a member state is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other member states shall have toward it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power.” This is the first time article 42.7 has ever come into play. French officials have opted to rely on the European Union, rather than Article 5 under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, although NATO allies have started ramping up intelligence sharing with France.
“What I’ve said to my colleagues is that France can’t do everything at once,” Le Drian said, according to The Wall Street Journal. “We are in very close talks with our partners to take stock of what we can do together. What each partner can contribute, so it could be on our own territory or another area.”
Not a single objection surfaced to the request, meaning that 28 states have offered military support to France.
What mutual defense now entails is unclear. Ursula von der Leyen, Germany’s defense minister, offered vague commitment, saying that Germany would do “all in our power to offer help and support.”
Leyen added that Germany is already very much involved in the war against terror, though the government is currently reviewing a proposal to send more troops to a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali.
France spent Tuesday launching additional airstrikes against an Islamic State training camp and command post in Syria. Back at home, police conducted raids to try and get to the bottom of the terror attacks in Paris.
French president Francois Hollande recently met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who insisted that ISIS is losing territory.
Hollande will visit the United States next week for a follow-up meeting with President Barack Obama.
I wonder if the surrender is mutual too?
“Terror” is brilliant. It gives something for stupid people and stupider pols to fixate on while millions of ‘moderate’ muslims invade and have 6-7 kids per family.
Well at least the Frenchy is doing everything possible. I mean, he did meet with John Kerry, who by the way served in Vietnam. /.s
I wonder if the surrender is mutual too?
That’s a stupid thing to say.
I don’t think the EU will be around much longer.
.........and he also believes in Glowbull Warming...............
Funny statement from a Dutchman,since they haven’t even managed to fight anybody for about the last 300 years.
“French officials have opted to rely on the European Union, rather than Article 5 under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization”
Because they know that Obama is not going to be any help.
I don’t think this is accurate. As I recall, we were the first, post 9/11.
I’d wager that the shorts of the other EU member ministers are full of bricks over this.
We’re not EU, we invoked NATO.
France is also a member of NATO.
If France invokes the NATO mutual defense obligations then Obama will be forced to send a very sternly worded letter to ISIS.
My recollection is that the EU mutual defense treaty has much stronger provisions for police support than the NATO one does. That’ll make a difference in going after what is a significant internal threat.
I also read that France is also a member of NATO.
Everything west of the old Iron Curtain will soon enough be Muslim with the possible exceptions of Portugal, Spain, and Ireland and they'll be busy enough trying to repel their own neighboring Muslim hordes.
Well, France can count on Merkel. NOT.
And Obama. NOT.
Sigh.
???? The EU is the cause of letting this refugee redistribution going in the first place! The EU wants to ban semiauto guns in Finland instead of raising a militia clause! The EU is the enemy of France and nation state!
Notice France didn’t invoke NATO or run to Obama. Notice also that no one is suprised he didn’t.
At least not until they get another El acid or Charles Martel...heck, I think they’ll be happy to see Vlad the Impaler if this goes on much longer.
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