Brussels, 24 June 2013/ ACP Press Release: The Secretary-General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP Group), Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, was very pleased to endorse the agreement concluded in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) on 18 June 2013, between the Government of the Republic of Mali and the Tuareg rebel groups represented by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and High Council for the Azawad (HCA).

The Secretary-General believes that this agreement, a preliminary to the Presidential elections and inclusive peace talks, is a very positive step towards a return to sustainable peace and security in Mali.

He reiterated that the ACP Group has continued to show solidarity with Mali since the start of the crisis in January 2012 and strongly affirmed that the Group would continue to support Mali in its efforts to restore territorial integrity, national unity and social cohesion.

The Secretary-General called for all stakeholders in that nation to fully adhere to the agreement and to ensure that it is scrupulously implemented, so as to guarantee the smooth conduct of the Presidential elections scheduled for 28 July 2013, across the entire territory.

The Secretary-General would like to take this opportunity to renew to Presidents Alassane Ouattara, Blaise Compaoré and Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the ACP Group's gratitude for their decisive role in this positive evolution and reiterates his thanks to the international community as a whole, for its tireless efforts to find a speedy solution to the crisis in Mali.

– ACP PAHD