The African Union lifted the suspension against Mali on Wednesday, following a decision for intervention, in order to regain ground from Islamist militants.
Pledging that proposals for the intervention would be ready by within weeks, the AU outlined a political road map for the country, which saw elections being held as early as April next year.
The chair of the AU Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said:
"We are working ... to finalise the joint planning for the early deployment of an African-led international military force to help Mali recover the occupied territories in the North."
"At the same time, we will leave the door of dialogue open to those Malian rebel groups willing to negotiate,"
The foreign minister of Mali, Tieman Hubert Coulibaly, said he was "happy and satisfied" with the lifting of the suspension.
