African and European leaders held crisis talks Wednesday on the "terrifying" violence in the Central African Republic, where peacekeepers have been unable to stop a deadly spiral of Christian-Muslim strife.

As some 80 leaders from the two continents kicked off a mammoth summit that locked down parts of Brussels, France and Germany announced a new partnership for Africa aimed at promoting peace and development as well as combatting the effects of climate change.

"We want to deploy our friendship on the ground," said French President Francois Hollande, adding that it was thanks to Germany that die European Union finally had been able to announce die launch of a delayed military mission to send 800 troops to CAR.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Berlin and Paris "are seeking to be a motor" in Africa's development as

well as its security.

Germany, long reticent to take part in military missions, was on "a new path", Merkel said.

Delayed due to insufficient troop and aircraft commitments from member states, the launch of the EH operation in CAR was announced on the eve of the EU-Africa summit, which winds up Thursday.

Germany has contributed air transport, with Georgia, Spain, France, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Poland and Portugal providing troops and Britain, Luxembourg and Sweden logistical support.

As chaos worsens in CAR, a score of leaders from the 54-member African Union and 28-nation EU gathered with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to discuss the crisis.

"We are deeply concerned of the desperate plight of the people of the CAR," said Ban, who is seeking Security Council endorsement for a 12,000-strong peacekeeping force to take over from the 8,000 African and