EU takes first step for Chad Darfur refugee force

The European Union took the first step on Monday towards sending forces to Chad and the Central African Republican to help the United Nations protect refugees trapped in the violent region bordering Darfur.
EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels asked the bloc's military staff to start detailed planning for a possible operation to help a UN police mission restore security.
"We now have a European initiative," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who had pressed the 27-nation bloc to act, told reporters. Military staff will start working on a possible year-long deployment of a 1,500 to 3,000-strong force to be sent at the earliest at the end of October, diplomats said. France, a former colonial power in Chad, is expected to provide the bulk of the EU troops. Spain is also considering a contribution, an EU official said.