US General Carter HAM: – Solution To Mali Crisis 'Not Only Military'-

The US Administration is opposed to the planned military intervention by ECOWAS member-states in northern Mali preferring instead the diplomatic option with the involvement of the countries of the region including Algeria in a bid to hammer out a solution to the pending crisis, US General Carter HAM declared Tuesday in Ouagadougou, the capital of Bourkina Fasso after being received there by President Blaise Campaore.

• After the meeting held in Ouagadougou, the capital of the West African country, Ham told the press that he had discussed with Compaore about the worrying situation in Mali, the position of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the Malian crisis and the military cooperation between Burkina Faso and the United States.

• Regarding the prevailing situation in Mali, General Ham said it is upon the international community to thrash out an early and lasting solution to the vexed issue.

• He also hailed the “encouraging progress” made by ECOWAS and its mediator, President Compaore, to resolve the Malian crisis.

• On the issue of whether Washington supports a military intervention to remove the separatists in northern Mali, General Carter Ham noted that the current challenges in Mali were political and humanitarian stressing that for the time being a military intervention in northern Mali against Islamist insurgents there could be counter-productive.

• AFRICOM was created in 2007 with its headquarters set up in Germany in 2008.