US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Algeria for their backing in ousting Islamic militants out of northern Mali, when meeting with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
The meeting follows a UN Security Council resolution earlier this month which paved the way for international intervention in Mali.
An American official reportedly said,
The meeting follows a UN Security Council resolution earlier this month which paved the way for international intervention in Mali.
An American official reportedly said,
“There is a strong recognition that Algeria has to be a central part of the solution”.Another official talking to AFP reportedly said that Algeria was "warming to the idea" of intervention, commenting,
"One of the things that we'll be talking about is... the role that Algeria could play if Ecowas provides the boots on the ground”A senior State Department official was also quoted as saying,
"Then the rest of us have to support that and create the means for it to succeed."
“It’s very clear that a political process and our counterterrorism efforts in Mali need to work in parallel and be mutually reinforcing”.