The UN Security Council approved a resolution on Friday that presses West African nations to speed up preparations for an international military intervention aimed at re-conquering northern Mali.
The text unanimously approved by the council also urges authorities in Bamako and representatives of “Malian rebel groups” controlling the north to “engage, as soon as possible, in a credible negotiation process.”
The council members said that the process should be undertaken with a view toward “a sustainable political solution, mindful of the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Mali.”
In March, military putschists seized power in the capital, Bamako, ousting Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure, only to see the north and east fall to Tuareg rebels and militias linked to al-Qaeda.
“There is a feeling that it is a dire situation in northern Mali and we need prompt action,” said Guatemalan UN envoy Gert Rosenthal, who holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month.
“But it is a very complex operation ... this will be the first step towards something more robust, I hope,” he added.
The council asked UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to work with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the AU to submit to the council within 45 days “detailed and actionable recommendations” in preparation for the deployment of an international military force in Mali.
A first draft of the resolution called for a 30-day timetable, but 45 days was later deemed to be more realistic.
The plan should include “means and modalities of the envisaged deployment, in particular the concept of operations,” personnel needed and a cost estimate, said the text, which was mainly drafted by France.
The UN is to provide “military and security planners” to ECOWAS and the AU to assist with the preparations, the resolution said.
After details for military intervention are submitted, the 15-member council would still have to pass a second resolution to give the green light to the deployment. That is not expected to happen before the end of the year.
French President Francois Hollande said the resolution was not just about facilitating a military intervention, but had a political component as well, with armed groups urged to halt attacks and join reconciliation efforts.
“The international community as a whole will stand side-by-side with Mali in this effort” to reconquer the north, Hollande said in a statement issued while the French leader was in Senegal.
“It is now up to the Africans, through the work of ECOWAS and the African Union, to finalize their response to the Malian government’s call for help,” Hollande said.
The US Department of State welcomed the adoption of the resolution, with spokeswoman Victoria Nuland calling it a “comprehensive approach to the overlapping governance, security and humanitarian crises affecting Mali.”
In the resolution, the council stated its “readiness” to respond to Mali’s requests, while calling for “coordinated assistance, expertise, training and capacity-building support” to Mali’s armed forces.
The country’s military has been devastated by the coup and the quick takeover of the north.
The EU hopes to quickly dispatch 150 military trainers to Mali. The issue is to be discussed at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg tomorrow.
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
BIG SPENDERS: Foreign investors bought the most Taiwan equities since 2005, signaling confidence that an AI boom would continue to benefit chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) market capitalization swelled to US$2 trillion for the first time following a 4.25 percent rally in its American depositary receipts (ADR) overnight, putting the world’s biggest contract chipmaker sixth on the list of the world’s biggest companies by market capitalization, just behind Amazon.com Inc. The site CompaniesMarketcap.com ranked TSMC ahead of Saudi Aramco and Meta Platforms Inc. The Taiwanese company’s ADRs on Tuesday surged to US$385.75 on the New York Stock Exchange, as strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications led to chip supply constraints and boost revenue growth to record-breaking levels. Each TSMC ADR represents
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel prices will rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter, respectively, starting Monday, citing Middle East tensions and blizzards in the eastern United States. CPC also iterated it has been reducing the proportion of crude oil imports from the Middle East and diversifying its supply sources in the past few years in response to geopolitical risks, expanding
RSS