Hollande: France will leave Mali when it is stable, safe

France will end its intervention in Mali and pull its forces out once the West African country has returned to being stable and safe with a solid political system, French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday.   

"We have one goal. To ensure that when we leave, when we end our intervention, Mali is safe, has legitimate authorities, an electoral process and there are no more terrorists threatening its territory," Hollande told a news conference during a visit to the United Arab Emirates.

Earlier, Hollande stated  that the deployment of a joint African force to help French troops battle al Qaeda-affiliated militants in Mali could take "a good week."                             

Speaking from a French military base in Abu Dhabi, Hollande also said French forces in Mali had overnight "made further strikes which hit their targets."               

"We will continue the deployment of forces on the ground and in the air," Hollande added.                         

For his part, the Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that France expects the help of Gulf Arab states in an African campaign against Islamist rebels in Mali, possibly with materials or financing.                

In response to questions from reporters on a visit to the United Arab Emirates, Fabius added that the presence of French troops on the ground in the Muslim Afican state would not   galvanise al Qaeda recruitment in the region.         

He said donors would meet towards the end of January to finance an African push against al Qaeda-linked fighters.


REUTERS