Brussels, 22/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - A week ahead of the first round of the presidential elections in Mali scheduled for 28 July, despite insecurity in the north of the country and issues in the organisation of the process, the EU is calling on all parties throughout the country to participate peacefully and constructively in these elections, and to ensure the widest possible turnout of refugees, displaced persons and Malians resident abroad, though only very few of these latter have registered to vote (barely 265,000 due to incomplete electoral records). The conclusions adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday 22 July encourage all political parties to sign the Code of Good Practice in Electoral Matters.
It is extremely important that, as far as possible, the EU observers who have been deployed at the request of the authorities of Mali are able to do their work in the regions of northern Mali, particularly Kidal, and in the refugee camps, the Council stresses. In order to do this, the Council states that it is vital that the preliminary peace agreement signed in Ouagadougou on 18 June is fully applied by all signatories, in full respect of the timetable laid down, so as to allow peaceful elections to be held in the region of Kidal thanks to the gradual redeployment of security and administration staff.
The EU welcomes the first measures taken so far, such as the gradual return of the state to Kidal and the quartering of armed groups. It encourages all armed non-terrorist groups to accede to and to implement the Ouagadougou agreement and pledges that it will continue to support this process, notably via Michel Reveyrand-de Menthon, the special representative of the EU for the Sahel region, who was appointed in March of this year.
The Council states that the presidential elections in Mali constitute a major step towards the full return to constitutional order throughout the territory. For this reason, the EU welcomes the commitment made by the authorities of the country to do all in their power to guarantee the smooth running, credibility and transparency of the presidential elections and general elections to follow. It urges the Council and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to continue to support a full return to stability and basic services throughout the territory of Mali. (AN/transl.fl)