INTERVIEW-Mali war plan to be ready within weeks, AU says
Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:52pm GMT
* African states, Western powers divided over intervention
* U.N. set 6-week deadline for war plan, starting Oct. 12
* Door open to negotiation with rebels
By Aaron Maasho
ADDIS ABABA, Oct 24 (Reuters) - An African plan for military intervention in
Mali to help government troops reclaim territory from Islamist militants
will be ready within weeks, the head of the African Union (AU) said on
Wednesday.
Mali remains paralysed by twin crises, with the leadership in Bamako still
divided since a March coup that toppled the president and the occupation of
the north of the country by Islamic militants.
Regional and international efforts to deal with the situation, which has
created a safe haven for Islamists and international criminal gangs, have
been hampered by divisions over how to help.
The AU asked the Security Council in June to back military intervention. The
council asked for a detailed operation plan within a deadline of a little
over six weeks from October 12.
"The Security Council has asked us to produce a plan within 45 days - that
will be done within 45 days," Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairwoman of the AU
Commission, told Reuters in an interview after ministers opened a meeting of
the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) in the Ethiopian capital, Addis
Ababa.
Western diplomats had expressed concern that the AU's request for U.N.
backing in June had lacked the necessary details, while others have voiced
serious reservations about the ability of ECOWAS to tackle the northern
Islamists anytime soon.
Some envoys predict that it could be months before any kind of plan is put
in motion and troops are trained and in place.
"One plan is ready, and the other one will be ready because work has already
started," Dlamini-Zuma said.
She was referring to a "strategic concept" expected to be endorsed by the
PSC on Wednesday.
The strategy outlines measures including elections, establishing an
inclusive political process and governance, and defense and security reform.
The draft plan calls for the AU and partners to devise a timeline for
elections to be held next year.
"UNITY OF PURPOSE"
In July, the AU said it hoped military intervention in Mali would be a last
resort. But on Wednesday Dlamini-Zuma spoke of an "early" military operation
that could run alongside negotiations.
"We are working ... to finalise the joint planning for the early deployment
of an African-led international military force to help Mali recover the
occupied territories in the North," she told the opening of the PSC meeting:
"At the same time, we will leave the door of dialogue open to those Malian
rebel groups willing to negotiate," she said.
There is also division among some West African states and western powers
over how to tackle the Malian crisis.
While it has not ruled out military force, Algeria, the region's top
military power that fought a long war against Islamists in the 1990s, has
led calls for a dialogue-first approach.
Other neighbours such as Guinea argue no time can be wasted in mediation
efforts.
The United States, which spent years working with Mali's army against al
Qaeda's Sahara wing, has pushed for a more cautious approach. It earlier had
called for elections to strengthen the political leadership in Bamako, with
a military intervention later if needed.
While urging military intervention, France also has called for consensus and
coordination.
Dlamini-Zuma, however, said the crisis should be tackled as soon as
possible.
"I think around Mali, there's unity of purpose, there's unity of ideas. So I
think so far, so good," she said.
"Once we have taken the documents to the U.N., the ball will be in the
U.N.'s court."
Armed groups have been told to distance themselves from "terrorist" and
criminal groups before they can participate in talks.
Dlamini-Zuma told the PSC the door for dialogue was still open for rebels,
but warned "negotiations cannot be open-ended." (Editing by Richard Lough
and Michael Roddy)
C Thomson Reuters 2012 All rights reserved
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Received on Wed Oct 24 2012 - 16:22:19 EDT
