Malian PM reiterates determination to hold talks with rebels

Malian Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra has reiterated his commitment to hold dialogue with fellow Malian citizens who have not renounced Mali’s territorial integrity and the secular state.

An official statement obtained here on Monday said the prime minister held discussions on Sunday in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, with the mediator in the Malian crisis, Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore.

The talks between the two leaders touched on the channels of dialogue that should be opened between the government and the rebel groups like the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and Ansar Dine, whose representatives recently met with the Burkina Faso president in Ouagadougou.

In the same statement, the prime minister made it clear that “even though negotiations are necessary, it will be necessary to resort to the use of force to chase away terrorists and drug traffickers from the Malian territory, especially from the regions of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu.”

The Malian prime minister hailed the contribution of the mediator as well as the mobilization of the international community in the process to restore peace and territorial integrity of Mali.

According to the statement, Compaore and Diarra discussed the latest developments and the best ways to find a lasting solution to the Malian crisis.

Rebels seized the northern part of Mali in the aftermath of the March 22 military coup. Fearing Mali’s desert north is becoming a haven for the Al-Qaida branch in the region AQIM, the West African bloc ECOWAS has worked out a military intervention plan to regain control of northern Mali. The Malian government is also reaching moderate rebels for possible peace talks in a bid to isolate AQIM

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