{The UN Security Council on Tuesday called for a full and effective implementation of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, said the council in a press statement.}

The council stressed that the government of Mali and the Platform and Coordination armed groups bear the primary responsibility for achieving lasting peace in Mali, said the statement.

The members of the Security Council heard a briefing on Monday by the Under-Secretary-General for peacekeeping operations Herve Ladsous on the situation in Mali.

“Welcoming the first positive steps taken to implement the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali,” the council urged “The Government of Mali, the Platform and Coordination armed groups to continue to engage constructively with sustained political will and in good faith to fully and effectively implement the Agreement without further delay.”

The 15-member body urged the government of Mali and the Platform and Coordination coalition to prioritize the implementation of key provisions of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, reached on June 20, 2015 and aiming to bring concrete peace dividends to the population of Mali, said the statement.

In this regard, the members of the council urged them “to take without delay the necessary measures to advance the deployment of joint security patrols in the North of Mali,” it said.

Council members also expressed their full support to the newly appointed special representative of the secretary-general for Mali and head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, Mahamat Saleh Annadif.

Moreover, the council members voiced their concern about the country’s security situation, including the expansion of terrorist and criminal activities into central and southern Mali.

“They noted that the full implementation of the Agreement and the intensification of efforts to overcome asymmetric threats can help to contribute to improving the security situation across Mali,” said the statement.

On offering support for Mali’s economic growth, the council called for the effective fulfillment of the commitments made during the international conference for the economic recovery and development of Mali, held on Oct. 22, 2015 in Paris, according to the statement.

Repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement signed by the government of Mali and the Platform and Coordination coalition have seen security situation deteriorate considerably in Mali.

Source:Shanghai Daily:[UN Security Council urges effective implementation of Mali peace agreement->http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=316187]