UN senior official meets Mali junta leaders

UNITED NATIONS - UN senior official for West Africa Said Djinnit went to Bamako, capital of Western African country and met with Mali junta leaders last Friday, said UN spokesperson Eduardo del Buey here Monday.

Djinnit, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for West Africa, participated in a joint mission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) and the United Nations which was dispatched to Bamako on Friday under the leadership of ECOWAS, del Buey told a daily briefing.

The members of the mission met a delegation of the junta led by Captain Adama Diarra and spoke on the phone with Captain Amadou Sanogo whom they could not meet personally for security reasons, del Buey said.

"They reiterated the appeal launched by the ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations for an immediate return to the constitutional order," said del Buey. "They also urged the junta leaders to guarantee the physical security of President Amadou Toumani Toure, as well as that of the other persons detained."

Additionally, the delegation reiterated the attachment of the ECOWAS, the AU and the UN to Mali's territorial integrity, according to del Buey.

Djinnit is expected to attend the ECOWAS summit, which will be held on Tuesday in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire in which ECOWAS heads of state will further examine the situation in Mali, said the spokesperson.

Late last week, rebel Malian soldiers took control of the country and announced the dissolution of the Government led by President Amadou Toumani Toure. The UN Security Council Monday expressed its strong condemnation of the recent coup d'etat and called for order to be restored in the country.