International partners call on Mali to take advantage of Algiers discussions

The international mediation team of the inter-Malian dialogue Wednesday called on the parties to the conflict to seize the opportunity of the Algiers negotiations as “a unique and historic opportunity” to end the crisis in the country and reach a comprehensive and final agreement likely to boost development in Mali including in the northern regions.
Speaking at the preparatory meeting of the 5th round of negotiations between the Malian government and the international mediation team Wednesday in Algiers, top official of the African Union (AU) for Mali and the Sahel region Pierre Buyoya highlighted the importance of the next stage of Algiers process that constitutes a “historic opportunity” to reach final solutions to the crisis in northern Mali.
The same official praised the Malian government and the movements of northern Mali for the trust in the international mediation team, noting that Malian PM Modibo Keita’s visit to Algeria to partake in the preparatory meetings “should step up mediation efforts.”

For his part, chairman of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) Mongi Hamdi said that the Algiers negotiations were “a unique and historic opportunity that will allow belligerents to find radical and final solutions to the crisis in northern Mali.