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		EU desperately tries to create military role for itself in Libya Wednesday, 13th April 2011 The European Union is trying to create a military role for itself in the Libya crisis. At its Council meeting on 12 April, it decided that, if requested by the UN, it will conduct a humanitarian assistance operation, "EUFOR Libya". Roger Helmer MEP, Conservative MEP for the East Midlands region, commented on these issues in the European Parliament today: "On the basis that every crisis is seen as an opportunity for the EU, since the beginning of the Libyan conflict EU officials have been desperate to chalk up some sort of military mission to add gloss to EU Defence Policy. Besides sorting out its internal differences, the EU's political energies are now being put into trying to persuade the UN to invite the EU to carry out such a mission" "This is a deceit - and both unnecessary and positively dangerous in that it would complicate the operations of the NATO-led coalition, confuse our allies, and inevitably draw on national military assets that should be made available to NATO." "The EU should focus on organising humanitarian aid and leave military matters, including humanitarian protection, to NATO."