Abdoulaye Bathily: northern Mali is "a matter of international security"

The Minister of State said that the ideal would be to achieve a negotiated solution. He was sceptical about the possibility of negotiating with groups that are installed today in northern Mali and want to impose their views on people who have mostly rejected them

He said it was a concern that the Sahel countries had withdrawn from.involvement with the situation in Northern Mali but he felt a solution would be found. he said that Senegal would try to participate in the ECOWAS if the troops were available. many Senegalese trops were on UN missions in Africa and elsewhere, he pointed out.The situation in  northern Mali which was threatened by extremists whowanted to turn it into another Afghanisatn was a threat to  all countries in West Africa amd beyond he said. If SouthAfrican troops could participate he  would welcome it, he said in reply to a question.

He said the UN General Assembly was of great interest to a large number of countries who were concerned by what happened to the Sahel.The situation in northern Mali affected not only Mali and West African countries but the international community as well.It was he said a matter of international security. He did not think Russia an
China would veto intervention in northern Mali the situation was diferent from Syria, he said.

He felt that the  Malian people were becoming more aware of the need to act  with consistency and responsibility but there was a need for the leadersto be more consistent. He said that in reality all African democracies were fragile, not just Mali. he said that Mali and Senegal were united briefly in 1960 and remained close.