Movement to promote peace and national unity formed in Mali

BAMAKO, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Mali's civil society groups, socio- political groups and professional as well as religious organizations on Monday signed an agreement forming "a citizen's movement to promote peace and national unity."

In a statement released in Bamako, the groups "regretted" all the war that had been imposed on Mali by the al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI), Ansar Dine group of Iyad Ag Ghaly, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), Boko Haram and the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA).

The signatories to the statement gave a number of preconditions before the start of dialogue. They called for the unconditional laying down of all weapons and making a public declaration recognizing Mali's territorial integrity as well as denouncing any idea of separation or self-determination.

They further demanded the acknowledgement of the secular nature of the Malian state and the execution of both national and international arrest warrants as well as the effective involvement of the local populations and the civil society groups in the search for a solution.

The citizen's movement for peace and national unity is led by Me Mountaga Tall, a member of Parliament who is also the leader of the Convergence to Save Mali (CSM), a centrist movement that was formed after the March 22, 2012 coup d'etat.

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