Groups that will not sign the Algiers Agreement are enemies of peace, a Malian official said on Tuesday.
“After May 15, the deadline set by the mediators, the agreement will come into force. Those who will not sign (the agreement) will have decided to remain outside the process and should accept to be referred to as enemies of peace and should be treated as such,” said Hamadoun Konate, Minister for Solidarity, Humanitarian Action and Reconstruction of the North.
The Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) which brings together a number of rebel groups in northern Mali, refused to sign the agreement on April 15 as had been announced by the international mediators led by Algeria.
The mediators and the Malian government seemingly would carry on with the peace process without CMA.
“The international community has decided that the process should not be held hostage by whichever side. It has decided to proceed with the signing of the final peace agreement in Bamako on May 15, 2015,” the minister said.
“For those who have not yet signed, we should remind them that the next phase will be that of signing,” he said.
“Once the agreement has been signed, there will be no further justification for continued fighting, or prevention of normal movement of people and security forces across the country,” he added.
Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said once it has been signed, “the agreement will be executed and will be validated by the United Nations Security Council.”
Diop reminded CMA groups that the “peace train had already started moving and they should agree to either sign the agreement jointly or as individual groups.” Enditem
Source: Xinhua
