France will
provide logistical, political and material support for the UN-backed African
military intervention in Mali, President Francois Hollande promised on Tuesday.
France is pushing
for a UN Security Council resolution which will authorise west African
countries to establish a force capable of reclaiming control of northern Mali
from Islamic radicals.
Hollande's strong
statement of support for the creation of such a force was made following talks
here with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who said he shared the French
government's concern over the growing influence of Islamists in huge parts of
north Africa.
French officials
have repeatedly expressed concern that northern Mali is in danger of becoming a
new Afghanistan, a breeding ground for Islamic militancy that could pose a
threat to the security of western Europe.
Six French
hostages are currently being held in the region by the north African branch of
al-Qaeda.
Mali's Prime
Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra last month asked the UN Security Council to
sanction the creation of a military force capable of re-conquering the north of
the country, which has since March been under the control of Islamists who have
capitalised on a political vacuum created by a military coup in the capital
Bamako.
Hollande said
France would present a resolution authorising the force to the Security Council
"as quickly as possible".
Diplomats have
cautioned that there are still major practical obstacles to overcome, including
the composition, financing and military capacity of what is expected to be a
force of around 3 000 troops.
"For the
intervention, it is up to Africans to organise themselves to ensure it happens
quickly and effectively," Hollande said. "The goal is to eradicate
terrorism."
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