Head of AU standby force arrives in Mali

BAMAKO - The head of the African Union (AU) standby force, general Sekouba Konate, arrived in the Malian capital Bamako on Sunday for a meeting of international experts on how to regain control of northern Mali after rebels seized the region in the aftermath of the March 22 military coup.

Konate was met by Mali's Defense Minister Yamoussa Camara at the airport to start a five-day visit to the West African country,

His arrival marked a new step toward the military intervention to be spearheaded by the regional bloc ECOWAS.

Representatives of partners including organizations, governments and the military have since Tuesday met in Bamako to discuss the harmonization of an operational strategy of the international force in Mali.

A military source told Xinhua that the experts were scheduled to meet with Konate on Monday and Tuesday to brief him on the proposals made by the conference.

The source said the planned intervention must not considered a mission only by the standby force from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

"The intervention will be jointly carried out by the ECOWAS forces and AU forces in consultation with the international community," he noted.

The meeting of experts has agreed that the Malian army must play a major role while other forces "will come to assist them in their efforts to reconquer the northern regions which are under occupation."

If the proposals are validated, they will be submitted to the UN Security Council on Nov 26 in New York.