UN-Mediated Peace Agreement Crucial for Mali’s Stability – Foreign Minister

Peace can be established in Mali only if all parties to the conflict in the country hold dialogue and adhere to an inclusive political agreement, with UN support, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, has stressed.

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – Diop stressed that the April signing of the agreement by all parties to the Malian conflict is critical.

"There is no alternative to peace, and for that, there is no alternative to this agreement," Diop said at a UN Security Council briefing on Thursday, referring to the Algiers draft peace agreement.

Diop's comments came after UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous told the Security Council on Thursday that the situation in Mali can only be stabilized through political means.

"The crisis in Mali can only be resolved through an inclusive and viable political agreement that can be implemented," Ladsous emphasized, saying that the Malian parties need to start putting in place a detailed implementation framework, with support from the mediators.

Mali, a French colony until 1960, has been in turmoil since the 2012 military coup, which triggered an uprising of separatist Tuareg tribes in the country's north. The revolt was quickly hijacked by Islamist groups with links to al-Qaeda.

On March 1, a draft peace agreement was signed by representatives of the Malian government, the "Platform" coalition of armed groups and all members of the international mediation team in Algiers.

The United Nations has a 10,000-strong peacekeeping force in Mali that assists the Malian government to prevent an escalation of the internal conflict.