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PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL 319™ MEETING AT MINISTERIAL LEVEL
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
April 24, 2012
PSC/MIN/C0MM./2. (CCCXIX)
COMMUNIQUE
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COMMUNIQUE
The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 319th meeting held at ministerial level, on 24 April 2012, adopted the following decision on the situation in the Republic of Mali:
Council,
Takes note of the paragraphs on the situation in Mali, as contained in the report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the situation in Guinea Bissau, Mali and the situation between Sudan and South Sudan [PSC/MIN/3 (CCCXIX)], and the statements made by representatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the core countries, as well as by the UN and other bilateral and multilateral partners;
Recalls its previous communiques on the situation in Mali, particularly communiques PSC/MIN/ COMM (CCCXIV), PSC/PR/COMM (CCCXV) and PSC/PR/COMM. (CCCXVI) adopted on the occasion of its 314th, 315th and 316th meetings held on 20 and 23 March, and 3 April 2012, respectively. Council reaffirms the contents of these communiques;
Welcomes the encouraging developments in Mali regarding the restoration of constitutional order, including the signing, on 6 April 2012, of the Framework Agreement for the Implementation of the Solemn Commitment of 1 April 2012, the appointment of the Interim President, Mr. Dioncounda Traore, and that of the Prime Minister of the Transition, Cheick Modibo Diarra. Council stresses the need for all parties in Mali to work in good faith towards the implementation of the commitments made. Council, concerned about the recent arrests of political and military personalities, recalls the imperative for the scrupulous respect for civil liberties and strongly condemns all attempts to intimidate and harass political and other personalities;
Commends ECOWAS for its tireless efforts to find a solution to the crisis in Mali. In particular, Council expresses its appreciation to President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d'Ivoire, current Chairman of ECOWAS, and President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, Mediator in the crisis in Mali, for their efforts, and welcomes the action of the representative of the Mediator, Djibrill Bassole Yipene, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation of Burkina Faso, and the representative of the current Chairman of ECOWAS, Mr. Bictogo Adama, Minister for African Integration of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire;
Encourages the Mediator, in close consultation with the AU, to continue and intensify his efforts to ensure the completion of the restoration of constitutional order, in accordance with the relevant AU and ECOWAS instruments. In this context, Council demands that the "National Council for the Recovery of Democracy and the Restoration of the State" (CNRDRE) to refrain from any interference and any role in the political life of the country, given the need for strict compliance with the prerogatives of civil institutions inherent in the constitutional order.
Council underscores the urgent need for the Malian stakeholders, working with ECOWAS and the Mediator, to resolve the outstanding issues, especially the management of the transition, its duration, and the prerogatives of the various organs of the Transition, after the expiry of the 40 days deadline provided for in Article 36 of the Constitution of February 1992, to avoid a constitutional vacuum in Mali, it being understood that the civilian institutions should have full responsibility for managing the Transition, with all the necessary prerogatives in this regard. In this context, Council stresses the opportunity to extend the mandate of the parliamentarians so that the National Assembly could continue to assume its powers during the transitional period;
Reiterates its deep concern about the developments in northern Mali and the strong condemnation by the AU of the attacks perpetrated by the armed and terrorist groups against the Malian State, including exactions against the Malian military and their families in Aguelhok, in the north of Mali;
Rejects the "declaration of independence made by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad", which is null and void. Council stresses that the occupation of any part of the Malian territory by armed criminal and terrorist groups is a threat to international peace and security. Council strongly condemns the taking of hostages by terrorist groups, in particular the abduction of diplomats of the Consulate of Algeria in Gao, Mali;
Recalls the provisions of paragraph 7 of the communique PSC/MIN/Comm (CCCXIV) by which Council affirmed its determination to actively support the efforts of the neighboring countries of Mali, particularly the core countries, and ECOWAS mediation, in scrupulous respect of the national unity and territorial integrity of the Republic of Mali;
Welcomes the efforts being made by the Chairperson of the Commission to follow up on the relevant decisions of Council. Council requested him to speed up his consultations with all the stakeholders, with the view to finalizing the modalities for the implementation of the process referred to in paragraph 7 above, and facilitating the preparation and implementation of an overall political and security strategy, to address the situation, including modalities for applying the sanctions already imposed against terrorists and armed groups active in northern Mali, in accordance with paragraphs 10 and 12 of communique PSC/PR/COMM (CCCXVI), as well as the measures envisaged by ECOWAS on the basis of the relevant provisions of the communiques issued at the end of its Extraordinary Summits of 27 and 29 March 2012, and the outcomes of the meeting of the Mediation and Security Council of ECOWAS held in Abidjan on 12 April 2012;
Looks forward to the decisions of the Extraordinary Summit of ECOWAS, scheduled in Abidjan on 26 April 2012, and the outcomes of the inaugural meeting of the Support and Follow-up Group, which will take place in Abidjan, on 4 May 2012, whose establishment was decided at its 314 meeting, held on 20 March 2012, in Bamako, and whose mandate was extended to the issue of the restoration of constitutional order by the communique of its 315th meeting, held on 23 March 2012;
Requests the Chairperson of the Commission to submit, within a period of one month, a report on the evolution of the situation and the implementation of this decision, in particular its paragraphs 5 and 8, to enable it to take necessary measures as appropriate;
Decides to remain actively seized of the situation.