Algérie Presse Service (APS) – January 22, 2012
The Algiers Accord, signed between the government of Mali and the Touareg rebel movements in the north of the country, remains the appropriate framework for resolution of issues currently facing the two sides, said Minister Delegate for Maghreb and African Affairs Abdelkader Messahel.
He recalled that the Algiers Accord “is now a law that was ratified by Parliament in Mali.”
Mr. Messahel insisted on the fact that Algeria “has always acted upon request by the two sides but, above all, on the basis of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Mali and on the basis of the principle of seeking solutions through peaceful dialogue.”
Furthermore, the minister indicated that “all tribes and tribe leaders in Mali got along with the Malian government,” adding that “a small minority was sometimes asking for independence, sometimes talking of wanting autonomy, and speaking of power sharing at other times.” Mr. Messahel noted that what is happening in northern Mali is “totally different” from the situation that prevailed in Soudan before it was split in two states.
