7

Erjavec told the press on the sidelines of the ministerial that it was too early to tell but that he personally feels it would be fair if Slovenia participated with one or two military instructors, as was the case in Mali where Slovenian soldiers were able to collect valuable experience.

The minister's view comes after the Foreign Ministry said only last Friday that limited military and financial resources are the reason why Slovenia does for now not plan to get involved in the military part of the mission, whose duration has been capped at six months.

"Nothing was promised today, apart from us planing to reflect on how we could contribute. There are many possibilities, including humanitarian aid," he said, noting the matter was now in the hands of the government.

The Foreign Ministry meanwhile announced that it would contribute EUR 30,000 to the World Food Programme's projects in the Central African Republic.

Slovenia made the announcement at today's donors meeting called in Brussels by Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner responsible for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos.

Slovenia raised at the meeting, at which US$ 500m in aid were promised, to the grave violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, to the high danger level for children and the need to secure access for humanitarian workers, the ministry wrote in a press release.

Meanwhile, Erjavec moreover announced today that his new Austrian counterpart Sebastian Kurz and him had agreed today to meet in Ljubljana on 13 March.