PARIS — Neither France nor Europe will intervene militarily to oust Al-Qaeda and its allies from northern Mali — not even with air strikes, the French defense minister said Tuesday. Jean-Yves Le Drian spoke two days after West African nations agreed to send some 3,300 troops to help Mali's tenuous government wrest control of the country's vast north that was seized by Al-Qaeda-linked fighters more than six months ago. The plan requires UN Security Council approval, which could come within weeks. Europe and the United States have taken a supporting role. The situation in Mali is also offering an opening to Europe to jolt its often-plodding effort to build a more unified EU defense policy, which has long been overshadowed by American-led NATO but has shown promise in areas like the fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia. Le Drian, speaking to reporters in Paris, reiterated France's longstanding stance that it will not to send ground forces in support of the planned international effort led by African troops in Mali. But this time, he sought to make clear that that would mean no French attacks from the air either. “As for air support, neither Europe nor France will intervene militarily,” Le Drian told the European American Press Club. “When we say no troops on the ground, that means ‘troops in the air' too ... But bringing in information, intelligence is another thing.” Mutinous soldiers overthrew Mali's democratically elected president in March, creating a power vacuum that paved the way for Islamists to grab the north — an area the size of France. In the more than six months since then, the Islamic extremists have imposed a strict form of Shariah law. Separately Tuesday, Niger President Issoufou Mahamadou said a military operation involving Malian troops and forces from the West African bloc Ecowas “is within our reach” — if necessary logistical support, intelligence-gathering, surveillance from the air and ground forces come together. “We have two choices, either intervene or not intervene,” Issoufou told reporters on the sidelines of a Paris conference on economic development in Niger. “I think that the risks of non-intervention are greater than the risks of intervention. So we must intervene.” — AP
