Iran says ready to help bring peace back to Mali

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says Iran is ready to contribute to the restoration of peace to war-stricken African nation of Mali.

Salehi made the remark on Wednesday in Cairo where he was addressing the foreign ministerial meeting of the 12th Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

“From the viewpoint of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the [ongoing] crisis in the north of Mali will be resolved only through respecting the United Nations resolutions and supporting regional bodies like the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),” he said.

“To this end, Iran declares its readiness to contribute to the peace process and safeguarding the territorial integrity of this country, as well as to cooperate with Malian neighbors and influential regional bodies to end the violence and find a solution to the crisis in the country,” Salehi added.

France launched its war in Mali on January 11, 2013 under the pretext of halting the advance of the fighters in the West African country.

Thousands of people in Mali have been forced to flee their homes amid the French war, which involved some 3,500 troops on the ground supported by warplanes, helicopters and armored vehicles.

The United States, Canada, Britain, Belgium, Germany, and Denmark have already said they would support the French war in Mali.

Analysts believe behind the military campaign are Mali’s untapped resources, including oil, gold, as well as the uranium.