S/PV.7210 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of Mali to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2014/436, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Australia, France, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2014/403, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Mali. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

There were 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2164 (2014). I now give the floor to the representative of Mali.

It is an honour to speak on the occasion of this meeting of the Security Council on the situation in Mali. First of all, on behalf of the people and the Government of Mali, let me express our sincere thanks and deep gratitude to the international community, especially the members of the Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, for the interest and support that my country continues to enjoy since the outbreak of the multidimensional crisis from which it is trying to emerge. On 25 June 2013, exactly one year to the day, the Security Council authorized the transfer of responsibilities from the African-led International Support Mission in Mali to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), established by resolution 2100 (2013) for an initial term of one year commencing in July 2013. As to what has been accomplished, we see that outstanding progress has been made in the political and security fields, with a particular focus, among other things, on the effective implementation of the transition road map, the evolution of the process of dialogue and reconciliation, the holding of presidential and legislative elections, improving the situation of human rights and establishing a chain of fruitful exchanges between the Government of Mali and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the MINUSMA Force Commander, to whom we reiterate our admiration for a job well done. Although the efforts of African, French and Malian armed forces have made it possible to rout the armed terrorist and extremist groups while reducing their operational capabilities, it is unfortunate that the security situation in northern Mali today continues to be very worrying. Take for example one of the many passages in the latest report of the Secretary-General, issued on 9 June: “Terrorist and armed groups continue to circulate and operate in the north, with an increasing footprint in the mountainous area north of Kidal, the Adrar des Ifoghas, posing a significant threat to civilians, mandate implementation and humanitarian operations”. (S/2014/403, para. 17) Given that very unfortunate reality, which the deployment of MINUSMA could not have foreseen, my delegation would like to reiterate the proposal of the Government of Mali put forward by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, African Integration and International Cooperation, His Excellency Mr. Abdoulaye Diop, in his statement before this body on 18 June (see S/PV.7202). I should like to recall that this proposal, among other things, includes the following aspects. The first entails the swift deployment of MINUSMA outside of major cities in the northern regions of Mali, especially around villages and nomadic areas. The second involves carrrying out joint operations between the Malian Armed Forces and MINUSMA to impede the free movement of armed groups associated with terrorists and drug trafficking groups that have not signed on to the Ouagadougou agreement. The third aspect is to support MINUSMA in isolating and disarming non-signatory armed groups affiliated with terrorist networks and drug trafficking groups, whose presence in northern Mali is now undermining the security gains made by Operation Serval and Chadian and Malian armed forces. The fourth entails expanding MINUSMA’s footprint from the southern to northern regions, where the need for stabilization and reconstruction is real. The fifth has to do with MINUSMA support for the Malian State in restoring State authority throughout the entire national territory and rebuilding the northern regions. The sixth involves the collection of weapons from armed groups, as well as the immediate withdrawal of those groups from public buildings and areas occupied and their return to the positions held before 17 May. The last aspect calls for United Nations support to speed up the cantonment and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes, as well as for the Inter-Malian Incluside Dialogue. I take this opportunity to reiterate the readiness of the Government of Mali to explore with its partners any mechanism that would support our efforts to effectively and quickly emerge from the crisis. It is in that context that Algeria, to which we pay well-deserved tribute, in response to a request from the President of the Republic of Mali, undertook exploratory consultations with all groups and armed movements in northern Mali in order to develop a common platform to serve, among other things, as a basic document for the Inter-Malian Inclusive Dialogue, which is slated for the coming days. Against that backdrop, the Government of Mali has reiterated its confidence in Algeria and asked it to continue its efforts with transparency and the support of the United Nations, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) so that the talks quickly lead to a final comprehensive peace agreement. From here in the Chamber, I would like to reiterate the resolute commitment of the Government of Mali to cooperate fully with the Security Council in the implementation of resolution 2164 (2014), just adopted. Before I conclude, on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, President of the Republic of Mali, allow me to thank ECOWAS, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the African Union, the United Nations and the European Union for their ongoing interest and commitment in support of our country. Our thanks also go to France, Chad and all our bilateral and multilateral partners for the extremely important role they continue to play for the final return of peace and stability to Mali and the entire region.

There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.