Category: APO-OPA

LIBREVILLE, Gabon, December 13, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by Mr. Joël Toujas-Bernaté visited Libreville from November 28 to December 11, 2012 to conduct the Article IV consultation discussions1 for 2012.

The mission had constructive meetings with Mr. Luc Oyoubi, Minister of Economy, Employment, and Sustainable Development; Mrs. Christiane Rose Ossouka Raponda, Minister of Budget, Public Accounts, and Civil Service; Mr. Régis Immongault, Minister of Industry and Mines; Members of Parliament on the Finance Committee of the National Assembly; and other senior officials. The mission also exchanged views with representatives of the private sector, civil society, and donors.

At the conclusion of the mission, Mr. Toujas-Bernaté made the following statement:

“Gabon is facing major economic and social development challenges. Although it has abundant natural resources that have raised the average per capita income to the level of middle-income countries, poverty and unemployment rates remain high, and the human development indicators are still similar to those of low-income countries. The Gabonese economy is still highly dependent on oil, which makes it vulnerable to the volatility of international prices. To address these challenges, in 2009 the new Gabonese authorities launched a wide-ranging development plan, The Emerging Gabon Strategic Plan, aimed at making Gabon a diversified emerging economy by 2025.

“The launch of the investment plan for infrastructure and the preparations for African Cup of nations (CAN 2012) contributed to the sustained growth of real GDP in 2011, estimated at 6.7 percent, despite a fall in oil production. High oil and manganese prices made it possible to record a large surplus on the external current account in 2011. By contrast, the nonoil primary fiscal deficit widened considerably in 2011–12, driven by the increase in public investment. It is projected that real GDP will rise by 6 to 7 percent in 2012, with the construction and public works, transportation, and other services sectors benefiting from the high level of public investment. The average annual inflation rate is expected to remain moderate at about 2.5 percent.

“Forecasts indicate that real GDP will grow by about 6-7 percent in 2013, supported by mining, timber processing business, and public investment. The main risk weighing on the country’s economic outlook is that of a drop in oil and manganese prices, as these products represent about 90 percent of all goods exported and 45 percent of nominal GDP.

“Given the broad scope of the authorities’ development objectives, the Article IV consultation discussions addressed the following issues: (i) to ensure the sustainability of public finances and the external accounts, taking into account the possible volatility of oil revenue; and (ii) to achieve strong and inclusive economic growth.

“The mission stressed the importance of ensuring efficient implementation of the wide-ranging public investment plan, aimed at removing the constraints related to the lack of infrastructure currently hampering private investment. To that end, the authorities should prepare annual budgets within a credible and sustainable framework, with a view to safeguarding macroeconomic stability in view of the risks of volatility in fiscal revenue. Current expenditure, which grew considerably in recent years, in particular the wage bill and spending on subsidies, should be controlled more effectively. The tax base for nonoil fiscal resources should be broadened at the same time as steps are taken to prevent the spread of tax exemptions. The mission also urged the authorities to pursue their ongoing efforts to improve the evaluation, selection, and monitoring of investment projects as well as the budgeting of their operating and maintenance costs. The ongoing reform of public financial management will help improve expenditure quality and free up additional resources for social spending and growth stimulation.

“The mission supports the authorities’ decision to focus their efforts on improving the business climate and human capital, without which the objectives of the development plan will be hard to achieve. The mission recommends that the authorities quickly take decisive actions to remove a number of obstacles to private investment, including by simplifying the administrative procedures for enterprise creation. An effective employment policy will be necessary for matching labor supply and demand and for reducing unemployment, including by improving vocational training. Reforms should be geared toward developing the financial sector, so that it can fully contribute to the financing of Gabon’s development.

“The mission confirmed that the IMF will continue to work with the Gabonese authorities to address these challenges. The Executive Board of the IMF is expected to consider the staff report on the 2012 Article IV consultation in February 2013. The mission wishes to thank the authorities for their warm hospitality as well as for their very close and constructive cooperation.”

1Under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members, usually every year. A staff team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, and discusses with officials the country’s economic developments and policies. On return to headquarters, the staff prepares a report, which forms the basis for discussion by the Executive Board. At the conclusion of the discussion, the Managing Director, as Chairman of the Board, summarizes the views of Executive Directors, and this summary is transmitted to the country authorities.

LONDON, United-Kingdom, December 13, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Sudan must end its violent repression of demonstrations, Amnesty International said in the wake of a week of unrest that saw many protesters arrested or injured.

Nationwi…

LUSAKA, Zambia, December 12, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The World Bank announced today that Zambia’s economy is expected to grow by 7.3 percent in 2012, slightly higher than the 6.8 percent growth rate of 2011. The economy has seen robust growth during 2012 in construction, transport and communication services, manufacturing, and agriculture, even as mining is expected to contract slightly.

The new World Bank report titled “Zambia Economic Brief: Recent Economic Developments and the State of Basic Human Opportunities for Children” notes Zambia’s growth performance in 2012 will keep it in the company of fastest-growing countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including both mineral and non-mineral producing countries. In October, the Bank said approximately one third of SSA countries would exceed growth rates of 6% (excluding South Africa), but that the region as a whole, buoyed by new mineral exports, would grow by 4.8 percent in 2012.

“Medium-term economic prospects for Zambia remain good though dependent upon continued high mineral prices,” says Kundhavi Kadiresan, World Bank Country Director for Zambia. The World Bank estimates GDP growth is expected to average above 7 percent over the 2013-14 forecast horizon,” concludes Kadiresan.

Construction growth in the recent years has accelerated in response to demand coming from rising urban incomes and a marked pick up in investment in mining and roads, the Bank notes. In addition, rapid expansion in transport services in Zambia is also a response to strong growth in demand from other sectors of the economy. Telecommunication services continue to grow due to an expanding customer base.

The report notes that with high growth, government revenues have also grown, allowing the government to ramp up public investment in roads and energy which if implemented efficiently can propel the country’s growth further.

The World Bank Country Director, Kundhavi Kadiresan said that this is the first Economic Brief the World Bank is launching. Twice per year, the Bank will produce a series of short economic updates that are expected to support evidence-based policy debate in Zambia.

High Growth amidst High Poverty and Inequality

Despite strong economic growth in the last decade, Kadiresancautioned that there was very little progress in reducing poverty, particularly in the latter half of the previous decade. This was primarily because of two reasons.

“First, the growth – driven mainly by industries such as construction, mining, and transport and communication – did very little to create new jobs and expand economic opportunities beyond the small fraction of the country’s labor force already employed in these industries,” said Kadiresan. “Second, the urban-centered nature of the growth also failed to generate enough opportunities for roughly two-thirds of the Zambian population who live in rural areas, depend on agriculture and have seen incomes remain largely stagnant over the last decade,” concludes Kadiresan

Moreover, the concentration of economic growth in particular sectors and regions manifests itself in the persistent high levels of inequality in Zambia. The Bank notes that policies that boost human capital of children and youth could promote growth and reduce inequality in the long run.

For its part, The Government of Zambia welcomes the World Bank’s first ever economic update for the country, noting the analysis can better help the current administration to focus on core issues hampering poverty reduction and inequality, now that the economy is stabilized and growing steadily.

“We welcome these reflections as they will provide an avenue for the country to tap into the Bank’s experience from its global reach and vast intellectual resources in dealing with some of the pertinent challenges that we face here in Zambia,” said Alexander Chikwanda, Zambia Minister of Finance and National Planning.

The report argues that pre-determined circumstances such as gender, ethnicity, birthplace, or family income should not determine the opportunities available to children to receive adequate education; a healthy start in the first few years of life; and safe, stable, and stimulating conditions for development.

“One of the primary findings of this report is that opportunities for children in Zambia in education, health and infrastructure services are mostly low,” says Praveen Kumar, World Bank Lead Economist for Zambia. “While school attendance has high coverage and does not depend much on circumstances, finishing primary school on time and quality of education depend strongly so. Opportunities for health and nutrition appear to be universally low in Zambia and have a high degree of inequality. Access to basic amenities such as drinking water and electricity is extremely low, and inequality extremely high,” concludes Kumar.

The report finds that some circumstances such as the wealth of households, location in terms of rural versus urban or the province of residence and education of the household head have significant effect on basic opportunities available to the children.

“The findings of the World Bank from their analysis of the thematic topic for this brief, “the basic human opportunities for children in Zambia”, have significant policy implications. The link being established between a child’s circumstances and access to basic services, and the likely conditions for that child in adult life is something we all need to deeply reflect upon,” concluded Minister Chikwanda at the December 10, 2012 launch of the Economic Brief in Lusaka.

The report develops an index, called Human Opportunity Index, to measure the level of opportunities available to children in Zambia.

“Over the past ten years, the technology for poverty reduction has changed dramatically. Countries now have the tools and the information to reach out and help the most disadvantaged amongst us,” says Marcelo Guigale, Director for Poverty Reduction & Economic Management, Africa Region, World Bank. “Few of those new tools are as promising and as powerful as the Human Opportunity Index. It is not surprising that leading developing countries like Zambia are considering adopting and adapting the Index in their social assistance strategies”, concludes Mr. Giugale.

GENEVA, Switzerland, December 12, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Congo is launching an emergency mass-vaccination campaign against yellow fever in Ewo District in Cuvette-Ouest region, beginning next week.

The emergency vaccination campaign aims to cover approximately 35,000 people in three health districts of Mbama, Ewo and Okoyo, all of which belong to the administrative district of Ewo.

The emergency vaccination campaign is being carried out after recent confirmation of a case with yellow fever virus infection that occurred in October 2012. The case was identified through the national surveillance programme for yellow fever.

Laboratory confirmation was done at Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale Kinshasa (INRB), and reconfirmed by a WHO regional reference laboratory for yellow fever, Institut Pasteur, Dakar, Senegal.

The vaccination campaign is being supported by the International Coordinating Group on Yellow Fever Vaccine Provision (YF-ICG1), the GAVI Alliance and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO).

1 The YF-ICG is a partnership that manages the stockpile of yellow fever vaccines for emergency response on the basis of a rotation fund. It is represented by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and WHO, which also serves as the Secretariat. The stockpile was created by GAVI Alliance.

TOKYO, Japan, December 12, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Government of Japan welcomes that the presidential election in the Republic of Ghana was held generally in a peaceful manner with a high voting rate and congratulates Mr. John Dr…

ABUJA, Nigeria, December 12, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — ECOWAS has learnt today with concern the events that led to the resignation of Mr. Cheik Modibo DIARRA, Prime Minister of the transitional Government of Mali.

Indeed, the President of the Commission wishes to recall that, by virtue of the Decision of the Extraordinary Summit of ECOWAS held in Abidjan on 26 April 2012, executive power in Mali is vested in the interim President, H.E Dioncounda TRAORE, who acts as the Head of

State and Commander in-Chief of the Malian Armed Forces, in line with the provisions of the Constitution of February 1992, and recognized as such by ECOWAS, the African Union, and the entire International Community.

Consequently ECOWAS strongly condemns any act that goes against the Transition in Mali, in particular, military action against the constituted Authority of the Transition, as well as any form of interference by the military in the political process.

Finally, ECOWAS reaffirms its support to the Interim President and urges him to take all necessary and immediate measures to form a representative and inclusive government as soon as possible in order to pursue the ongoing efforts to end the crisis and to bring together all Malians around the common cause of restoring the territorial integrity and unity of the country, dismantling terrorist networks in the North, and organizing free, transparent and inclusive elections.

Kadré Désiré OUEDRAOGO

President of the Commission Abuja, 11 December 2012

VIENNA, Austria, December 12, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — “Austria is making 800,000 euros from the Foreign Disaster Relief Fund available to alleviate humanitarian distress in Niger and Haiti”, Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister Micha…

GENEVA, Switzerland, December 12, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ —

Egypt’s fight for democracy will have been in vain without putting in place a constitution that guarantees the rights of all of its people or one on which everyone can agree, says the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

“Democracy and strong democratic leadership is about listening to and representing the voice of all the people. A constitution needs to be built on that foundation if a country’s future is to be peaceful and assured,” says IPU President Abdelwahad Radi.

He deplored the violence and deaths of recent days and weeks and latest moves to use military force to maintain order. “The Egyptian people have shown time and time again that their democratic aspirations underpin their belief in the future. Many have even given their lives to this quest. It must not be for nothing.”

Citing IPU’s Universal Declaration on Democracy adopted by its membership in 1997, President Radi highlighted strengthening social cohesion and enhancing national tranquility as a principle objective of democracy. It is the only political system, the Declaration states, that has the capacity to self-correct.

“Egypt is at a critical juncture. It has the choice of asserting a real belief in democratic values by addressing the fears and concerns of all its people through a constitution agreed upon by concensus. IPU urges Egypt to take this unique opportunity to build a united country and not one that is riven by political, religious, gender differences and inequalities.”

WASHINGTON, December 12, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Testimony

Johnnie Carson

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs

As Prepared

Before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights

Washington, DC

December 11, 2012

Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Bass, and members of the Committee. Thank you for the invitation to testify before the Subcommittee on the crisis unfolding in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, or D.R.C.

As you know, the security and humanitarian situation in the Congo is the most volatile in Africa today. An estimated five million people have died in the years since the second regional war began in 1998, and millions more have been forced to flee their homes. The D.R.C. is also the site of one of the world’s longest-running and most expensive peacekeeping operations, having hosted a UN peacekeeping presence for several years after its independence in 1960, in addition to the more recent UN missions starting in the late 1990s. The people of North and South Kivu provinces in particular have faced repeated cycles of conflict, atrocities, and displacement. An unthinkable number of women, men, and children have experienced sexual violence or rape at the hands of soldiers and armed groups.

The November 20 fall of Goma to the M23 rebel group provided a stark reminder that, even as the international community has made major investments in humanitarian aid and peacekeeping, the underlying causes of the recurring conflicts in eastern D.R.C. remain unresolved. The Congolese Government has failed to provide effective security, governance, and services in the eastern provinces, and political and economic tensions persist between the D.R.C. and its eastern neighbors, particularly Rwanda. The current crisis has been fueled and exacerbated by outside support to rebel groups operating in the Kivu provinces.

The M23 is one of many armed groups operating in the eastern D.R.C. Most of its officers were at one time nominally integrated into the Congolese army, a concession they extracted after nearly capturing Goma as part of a precursor insurgency in 2008. Once integrated, these officers operated in a parallel chain of command and enjoyed impunity for their human rights abuses and illegal exploitation of the country’s mineral wealth. When the Congolese Government appeared poised earlier this year to challenge these arrangements, several of these officers mutinied and constituted themselves under a new name, the M23. The commanders of the M23 represent a “who’s who” of notorious human rights abusers in the eastern D.R.C. They include Bosco Ntaganda, who faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for sexual violence and other crimes against humanity and continues to play an active role in the militia.

Since the M23 rebellion erupted last spring, the United States has worked closely with international and regional partners to mobilize a comprehensive response aimed at preventing a further deterioration of the situation, securing an end to hostilities, and maintaining humanitarian assistance. In September, Secretary Clinton met with Congolese President Kabila and Rwandan President Kagame at the UN General Assembly to urge them to engage in a more constructive dialogue. In the UN Security Council, we proposed and supported new actions to ensure that five of the M23’s top commanders are now under targeted sanctions. We have also stressed the need to hold accountable all of those who commit human rights abuses. Ambassador Rice has remained directly engaged with senior UN officials throughout the crisis, as we believe it is critical that the UN continue to play a key mediating role. In early November, Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman traveled to the region to meet with key heads of state to urge a rapid and peaceful resolution to this crisis.

In response to the M23’s offensive on Goma last month, I traveled to Kinshasa, Kigali, and Kampala between November 24 and 28 with my British and French counterparts. During meetings with senior Ugandan, Rwandan, and Congolese officials, we delivered a clear and common message: as agreed in the November 21 and 24 Kampala communiqués, there must be an immediate cessation of hostilities and M23 must withdraw from Goma; the Congolese, Rwandan, and Ugandan Governments should ensure the implementation of these commitments; and any outside support to the M23 is unacceptable and must stop. We also urged top officials in the Congolese, Rwandan, and Ugandan Governments to work together toward a sustainable resolution of underlying issues. All three governments reiterated to us their commitment to these goals. So far, the cessation of hostilities between Congolese forces and the M23 appears to be holding. Most M23 forces appear to have withdrawn from Goma, though many remain much closer to the city than the Kampala agreements called for.

We also stressed that, while the D.R.C. Government has agreed to hear the political grievances of the M23, there should be no impunity for senior M23 leaders who are under ICC indictment or international sanctions for human rights violations.

The M23 would not be the threat it is today without external support, and we will continue to discourage outside parties from providing any assistance to the M23. There is a credible body of evidence that corroborates key findings of the Group of Experts’ reports – including evidence of significant military and logistical support, as well as operational and political guidance, from the Rwandan government to the M23. The British Government has recently indicated that it shares this assessment. We do not have a similar body of evidence that Uganda has a government-wide policy of support to the M23.

Based on this evidence, we continue to press Rwanda to halt and prevent any and all forms of support to Congolese armed groups. As required by law, the Department suspended Foreign Military Financing funds to Rwanda this year. Looking forward, we expect all parties, including Rwanda, to cease any support to M23 and other armed groups, abide by the November 21 and 24 agreements, and to work constructively with neighbors and the international community and take affirmative steps to end impunity for M23 commanders responsible for human rights abuses in order to reach an acceptable political agreement. We ask the Government of Uganda to ensure that supplies to the M23 do not originate in or transit through Ugandan territory, including from individual officials that may be acting on their own. The Department continues to closely monitor reports of external support and we will continue to respond appropriately, including by reviewing our assistance, to deter this support as the situation develops.

We are taking a number of other steps, in concert with our international partners, as part of our comprehensive response to the current crisis.

First and foremost, we are monitoring humanitarian needs and mobilizing a response. The humanitarian situation in the eastern Congo remains deplorable, as it has been for years, with more than two million Congolese currently displaced internally or to neighboring countries. The recent attacks by M23 and other armed groups have displaced some 500,000 more. The reopening of the Goma airport on December 5 was an important step toward ensuring that vulnerable populations receive the emergency assistance they need. UN officials report that humanitarian organizations currently maintain sufficient capacity to respond to immediate humanitarian needs in and around Goma, but some areas of North and South Kivu are still not accessible to humanitarians because of insecurity. The United States provided more than $110 million in humanitarian assistance for Congolese refugees, internally displaced persons, and conflict-affected civilians in Fiscal Year 2012, including a $5 million supplemental contribution for the increased needs in the D.R.C., Uganda, and Rwanda as a result of displacements caused by the M23 rebellion. At the UN, we have urged donors to respond to the UN’s consolidated appeal for the D.R.C.

Second, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, or ICGLR, the African Union, and the Security Council have all demanded that the M23 refrain from further offensives and stay out of Goma. In the ICGLR talks, the Congolese Government agreed to hear the grievances of the M23. We are calling on the D.R.C., neighboring governments, and the broader international community to ensure accountability for M23 leaders who have committed serious human rights abuses. And we will continue to speak out against the forcible recruitment of children and the other crimes the M23 continues to commit against Congolese civilians. We also call on governments to enforce the terms of the travel ban and asset freeze imposed by UN sanctions.

Third, we believe that Presidents Kabila, Kagame, and Museveni must continue to engage in direct talks to address the underlying causes of instability in the region. These include conflict over land, tensions in areas where refugees have returned or may seek to return, armed rebel groups and their support networks, and the illegal exploitation of natural resources. The Governments of the D.R.C., Rwanda, and Uganda also have opportunities to discuss potential drivers of progress, including new agreements and concrete initiatives on economic integration and peace and security issues. We encourage the UN Secretary-General to appoint a UN Special Envoy to engage on a sustained basis to facilitate ongoing discussions toward a long-term solution of these long-standing problems. We need such a high-level Special Envoy to be dedicated to the hard work of helping develop this long-term solution with all of the relevant stakeholders and to ensure that the solution is implemented over the long run, especially when the world’s attention turns to the next crisis. We intend to continue working with our European, African, and UN partners to support this dialogue. We will work to ensure that any agreement is transparent, sustainable, and enjoys the support and commitment of the region, including Congolese civil society and civilian communities.

Fourth, we appreciate the brave service of peacekeepers from several dozen countries operating in very difficult, often dangerous conditions. Yet more must be done to protect civilians in the eastern D.R.C. We and our fellow Security Council members and troop contributing countries are reviewing options for improving the UN’s ability to protect civilians and help implement defined aspects of a potential regional political settlement. We must remain realistic about what MONUSCO can be expected to achieve to protect civilians across a large expanse of D.R.C. territory. We are also following the regional Great Lakes proposal to develop an effective regional fighting force in the Kivus that would confront the M23 and other armed groups. We are strongly encouraging our partners to ensure these efforts are coordinated with, and perhaps even integrated into, UN peacekeeping efforts.

Fifth, the D.R.C. Government has the primary responsibility for protecting its territory and all its citizens. We are urging President Kabila to undertake a credible effort to professionalize and reform the Congolese security forces. This will take time, but the Congolese Government needs to take clear and bold measures to ensure that its soldiers are professionally trained, adequately paid and supported, and respectful of international human rights norms. We also find very disturbing, and recognize the need to address, the abuses committed by the Congolese military, including recent reports of rapes and looting in North Kivu. At the same time, we are making clear that the Congolese Government must accelerate its efforts to deploy and strengthen state institutions and provide needed public services in the Kivus. The extension of effective governance, combined with legitimate provincial elections, is necessary for a lasting peace.

We believe that the time has come for the region’s leaders and the international community to break the cycle of violence and impunity in the region. We, and most importantly, the region’s political leaders, must ensure that the national security and territorial integrity of the D.R.C., Rwanda, and Uganda are protected; must help build a future for people who have seen more conflict than peace over the last two decades that is rooted in strong and credible institutions, the transparent and legitimate use of the East’s vast mineral wealth for economic development and not personal gain, and respect for human rights; and must establish nonviolent means of addressing their differences. It is for this reason that even as we tackle the immediacy of the current crisis, we are also focused on the equally urgent need for a long-term and lasting solution.

As Secretary Clinton noted when she visited Goma in 2009, the Congolese people are courageous and resilient. There are reasons for hope in the D.R.C. The Congolese army has begun implementing a program to pay its soldiers through electronic and mobile banking and has committed to removing the last vestiges of the use of child soldiers. Thousands of combatants and dependents from the génocidaire militias have been demobilized and returned to civilian society. And for the first time, a horrific mass rape in January 2011 was followed with swift criminal justice for the perpetrators and the officers who directed them.

We need to build on these steps, which have been gravely set back by the M23 rebellion and the violence committed by other armed groups. The decisions taken now will set the trajectory of the next several years. Other abusive militias in the Kivus are watching to see if violent behavior is an effective path to power and influence. Reformers who are promoting a conflict-free trade in mineral resources are watching to see if insecurity will be allowed to continue and prolong the conditions favorable to illegal smuggling. The FDLR militia is still active in the Kivus. The vicious Lord’s Resistance Army of Joseph Kony, which operates hundreds of miles away on the D.R.C.’s northern borders, is watching to see if insecurity in the Kivus will undermine regional efforts to deny it a safe haven. And the world is watching to see whether the eastern Congo can transcend its history as a theater for proxy conflict and finally have the chance to move toward peace.

If we are to stop the recurring lethal violence, rape, humanitarian emergencies, and cross-border conflict in the eastern D.R.C. that have cost millions of lives and billions of dollars, we must move beyond short-term fixes. Today’s crisis is a tragedy, but it also offers a real opportunity to help the Congolese people set a more sustainable course toward peace. The framework for action at the national, regional, and international levels that I have outlined today could help enable the peoples of the region to escape the recurring cycles of conflict.

Thank you again for the opportunity to testify. I look forward to answering your questions.

OTTAWA, Canada, December 12, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement:

“Canada is deeply concerned by the recent developments in Mali.

“Canada wishes to see Mali take steps toward a return to constitutional rule; the events of the last hours are a step backward and deeply troubling.

“Free and fair presidential elections and a resolution of the major security challenges in the country’s north are essential to re-establish stability.

“Canada supports international efforts to preserve Mali’s territorial integrity and combat extremism, but our suspension of bilateral aid will continue given the events of today.”

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird was to travel to Bamako this week but, due to recent events, will no longer be making the trip.