Germany is ready to lead a European Union mission to help protect elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, despite domestic opposition, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Monday according to Reuters. The United Nations, whose 17,000 peacekeepers in Congo are overstretched, has asked the EU for extra troops to help safeguard the first free presidential and parliamentary vote since independence in 1961, due to be held in June. "We took a decisive step forward," Steinmeier told reporters after meeting his European Union counterparts in Brussels. France is prepared to take charge on the ground in the Congolese capital Kinshasa, French officials said, while Germany would command the overall mission headquarters in Potsdam, close to Berlin. Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said France was ready to contribute 500 troops to the EU mission while Germany is due to bring the same number of troops. Germany and France are now waiting for other countries to confirm and detail their contributions, Steinmeier said. At least 10 EU countries are expected to take part in the Congo mission. Spain and Portugal will each send 100 soldiers, Sweden and Belgium each up to 50, German Defence minister Franz Josef Jung told German radio. --More 22 11 Local Time 19 11 GMT
