By Hadi Fornaji.
Tripoli, 21 June 2013:
Libya naval units have taken part in a two-day search and rescue exercise organised jointly by . . .[restrict]Malta and Italy along with participation from Algeria, France, Morocco and Tunisia.
The exercise, Canale 2013, which was held in Maltese waters, was the nineteenth such joint manoeuvre, but the first time in which Libyan personnel have taken part.
According to the Armed Forces of Malta, the purpose of the event was to ”promote co-operation and peace in the Mediterranean region, with particular emphasis on strengthening the cooperation between the ‘5+5 Initiative’ partners.”
The 5+5 Initiative involves Western Mediterranean countries Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya on the southern coast of the sea along with Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Malta on the northern rim. It aims to establish a framework for dialogue and cooperation among member states to tackle security and stability issues, as well as economical integration and regional migration.
The organisers of Canale 2013 were at pains to point out that its purpose was entirely peaceful saying that the emphasis was on “soft-security issues rather than more traditional war-fighting skills.”
Besides Search and Rescue, this latest exercise focused on maritime law enforcement, explosive ordinance disposal and the monitoring of regional maritime traffic movements. However for Libyan personnel taking part, it is likely that the interception of small craft carrying illegal immigrants bound for Europe, and the handling of these refugees, will have been an important part of the scenario.
Another key element in the two days was the cooperation between different command centres. Today senior commanders and official from participating countries met in Valetta for a debriefing on how the exercise had gone. [/restrict]
