IN FIRST
OFFICIAL VISIT TO MALI, NEW PEACEKEEPING CHIEF PRAISES GOVERNMENT’S SUPPORT FOR
UN MISSION
16 May 2017 – During his first
working visit to Mali, United Nations peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix
met today in the capital, Bamako, with President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and
other senior Malian officials, whom he thanked for their constructive and
sustained cooperation with the UN integrated mission in the country, known by
the French acronym, MINUSMA.
Mr. Lacroix, the Under
Secretary-General for UN Peacekeeping Operations, also met with the Minister of
Foreign Affairs of International Cooperation and African Integration, Abdoulaye
Diop, as well as the High Representative of the President for implementation of
the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation, Mahamadou Diagouraga.
Meeting with President Keïta, Mr.
Lacroix hand-delivered a letter from UN Secretary-General António Guterres
encouraging further progress on the peace agreement, as well as expressing
support for the G5 regional initiative, as the ‘Group of Five for the Sahel’ –
formed in 2014 by Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – is known.
Accompanied by the Special
Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Mali, Mahamat Saleh Annadif,
these meetings provided an opportunity to discuss the peace process and
challenges, particularly in the security field.
Mr. Lacroix thanked Malian
officials for their constructive and sustained cooperation with MINUSMA, the
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission, in fulfilling its mandate.
As part of his first working visit, he was in Timbuktu with Mr. Annadif to
visit the Liberian contingent at the site of the attack on 3 May in which one
of their comrades was killed and nine others were wounded.
Mr. Lacroix paid tribute to the
fallen peacekeeper and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded. He also
conveyed his solidarity when he met with civilian and uniformed staff and
thanked them for their dedication and sacrifices in very difficult conditions.
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