Can the Council indicate what Member States – apart from Ireland, France, Belgium, and Poland – will be contributing troops to the ESDP mission to the Chad, Darfur and Central African Republic border? Can the Council and EU Member States mobilise sufficient political, financial, logistical and technical support for troops forming part of this mission?

Does the Council realise the importance of not having our troops ill-equipped like the beleaguered African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS)? Does the Council agree that if we are putting our troops in a volatile environment we must give them full means to protect themselves?

What were the Council’s impressions of the talks on Darfur in Tripoli at the end of October? What moves has the Council been making to convince the many and fragmented rebel groups to come to the table to negotiate? Does the Council agree that, owing to the lack of participation of some of the main rebel groups in Darfur, the talks were something of a failure? Has the Council urged the Sudanese Government and rebel groups to cooperate fully with an independent investigation into the attack in Haskanita and to bring all those responsible to justice?

What has the Council been doing in relation to the Sudanese Government’s continued refusal to cooperate with the International Criminal Court?