European Union foreign ministers gave their final approval Monday to deploy a 3,000-strong EU peacekeeping force for one year to help refugees and displaced people living along Darfur's borders with Chad and the Central African Republic.
About half of the EU force will be French. Kouchner said the force has already received pledges of more than 2,500 troops from several EU nations. Poland and Spain pledged troops and planes at the EU talks Monday, while Ireland, Sweden, Poland and Belgium are expected to provide smaller contingents of 80 to 300 troops each, officials said.
The EU force could start deploying "in the first few weeks of November," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said. EU officials estimate the cost of the force will be $142 million for one year.
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