Security Council Press Statement on Mali
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President María Cristina Perceval (Argentina):
The members of the Security Council welcomed the scheduled resumption on 19 October of the inter-Malian negotiation process in Algiers, in line with its resolutions 2100 (2013) and 2164 (2014), the statement by its President on 28 July (S/2014/15), its previous press statements, as well as the 18 June 2013 Ouagadougou Preliminary Agreement and the road map signed by the Malian parties on 24 July (“Feuille de route des négociations dans le cadre du processus d’Alger”), which aim to achieve a comprehensive and inclusive peace agreement to end the crisis in Mali.
The members of the Security Council commended Algeria’s facilitation role, at the request of the Malian authorities, in the organization of formal peace talks and in convening the Government of Mali and the signatory and adherent armed groups of the Ouagadougou Agreement. The members of the Security Council also commended the close coordination between all the members of the international mediation team, which is coordinated by Algeria and includes the United Nations, through the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the European Union, the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger and Chad, and encouraged them to continue their efforts.
The members of the Security Council called on the Malian parties to fully comply with their commitments in the road map signed on 24 July and to engage in good faith and in the spirit of compromise in the comprehensive peace talks in Algiers when they resume, facilitated by the international mediation team, including MINUSMA, and encouraged further engagement with all communities of the north of Mali, including through civil society organisations, in order to reach a comprehensive and inclusive peace agreement to bring a durable political resolution to the crisis and long-term peace and stability throughout the country, respecting the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Malian State.
They urged all parties to fully respect the ceasefire agreement signed on 23 May, as well as the declaration of the Cessation of Hostilities signed in Algiers on 24 July and to refrain from any action that could jeopardize the prospects for peace and to reject the recourse to violence. They called on the parties to swiftly implement all agreed confidence-building measures, in particular the mechanisms established by the declaration of the Cessation of Hostilities to facilitate the implementation of the ceasefire, in close coordination with MINUSMA.
The members of the Security Council expressed their serious concern about the deteriorating security situation in the north of Mali and reiterated their strong condemnation of all deadly attacks against MINUSMA. The members of the Security Council urged the armed groups operating in northern Mali to demonstrate their commitment to cooperate with the United Nations to immediately stop and condemn attacks against peacekeepers, in line with the declaration they signed on 16 September in Algiers, and called on all actors on the ground to help to prevent such attacks.
Recognizing the lessons of the previous efforts by the Malian parties, which did not achieve a durable peace in Mali, the members of the Security Council affirmed the importance for the Malian parties to devise mechanisms for the full, faithful and immediate implementation of a future comprehensive and inclusive peace agreement. They underlined that the aim should be to sign such an agreement in the framework of the peace talks due to resume in Algiers. They underscored the critical importance for such an agreement to be Malian-owned, as well as for the international mediation team to support its implementation, pursuant to the provisions of the “Feuille de route des négociations dans le cadre du processus d’Alger”. They emphasized in this regard the important role MINUSMA should play in support of the implementation of such an agreement, in accordance with resolution 2164 (2014).
The members of the Security Council urged the Secretary-General to accelerate efforts to enable MINUSMA to reach its full operational capacity as soon as possible. They reiterated their full support for the key role and active engagement of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Mali, including his good offices and close coordination with the international community, as well as for MINUSMA, towards the restoration of peace and security throughout the national territory of Mali, as mandated by resolution 2164 (2014). The members of the Security Council commended the troop- and police-contributing countries of MINUSMA for their continued contribution to peace and security in Mali.