SC/11855-AFR/3108
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Dina Kawar (Jordan):
The members of the Security Council heard a briefing on Mali by the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, on 9 April.
The members of the Security Council welcomed the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, which was initialed on 1 March by representatives of the Malian Government, one of the coalitions of armed groups, “Platform”, and all members of the international mediation team, as a critical step to achieve lasting peace in Mali. The members of the Security Council considered this agreement as balanced and comprehensive, aiming to address the political, institutional, governance, security, development and reconciliation dimensions of the crisis.
The members of the Security Council commended the role played by Algeria and other members of the international mediation team for their continued efforts to assist the Malian parties to achieve lasting peace in Mali.
The members of the Security Council urged the armed groups of the Coordination to initial the draft agreement and called on all actors who have influence on the Malian parties to use it in this regard. The members of the Security Council expressed their intention to follow developments in this respect closely.
The members of the Security Council encouraged the parties to seize this historic opportunity and to continue to engage constructively with sustained political will and in good faith, supported by the members of the international mediation team, to sign this agreement as soon as possible and commit to its effective, complete and sincere implementation, through the further development of implementation modalities and timelines.
The members of the Security Council underlined that the responsibility for the full and faithful implementation of a peace agreement rests with the Malian parties, supported by the international mediation team and the wider international community.
The members of the Security Council underscored the need for clear, detailed and concrete oversight mechanisms to support the implementation of the future agreement, which has to be Malian-led and Malian-owned, and expressed their intention to facilitate and follow closely its implementation, in close coordination with the international mediation team. The members of the Security Council reiterated the leading role the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Mali and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), in conjunction with the other members of the international mediation team and the wider international community, to support and oversee the implementation of this agreement.
The members of the Security Council expressed their deep concern over the volatile security situation in the North of Mali and the continued attacks, including against MINUSMA, and violent clashes in Mali. The members of the Security Council urged all parties to swiftly implement all agreed confidence-building measures to facilitate the implementation of the ceasefire, with the support of and in coordination with MINUSMA. The members of the Security Council reiterated their demand that all parties refrain from any action, whether direct or conducted through proxies, that jeopardizes prospects for peace. In this regard, they reiterated their readiness to consider appropriate measures, including targeted sanctions, against those who resume hostilities and violate the ceasefire.
For information media. Not an official record.
