Brussels, 21/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, speaking on behalf of the EU on 20 September, welcomed the signing, by the principal Malagasy political partners, in Antananarivo on 17 September, of the roadmap for ending the crisis in Madagascar. In a press release published by her spokesperson, Ashton urges “all the Malagasy political partners to continue their efforts to render operational as soon as possible a transition process that is based on consensus and respect for human rights, with a view to a rapid return to constitutional order”. She congratulates the Troika members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) political cooperation body and all the other participants in the discussions who have made the signing possible, and states that the European Union remains available to give political and financial support for the transition process should the SADC and the African Union request it. (AN/transl.rt)