Egyptian President opposes military intervention in Mali

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi asserted his opposition against any military intervention in Mali and his support for a peaceful solution to the Malian crisis to ensure development in Africa, official news agency MENA reported on Monday. During his meeting with chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Morsi said Egypt rejects any armed conflict in Mali, which will disrupt the development in Africa. Both sides agreed on a peaceful and developmental solution in the region, MENA quoted presidential spokesman Yasser Ali as saying. Meanwhile, Zuma, who is currently visiting Cairo to attend the 3rd forum for the UN secretary-general's representatives and international envoys to Africa, said she seeks to support the African unity and promote the AU's self-reliance. Almost 200 African and international figures attended the forum, including Zuma, former Ghanaian President John Agyekum Kufuor, and other high-profile officials of the UN, the AU and regional organizations. The United Nations has recently asked the AU and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to produce a detailed plan for a possible military intervention in northern Mali, where Al-Qaida linked terrorists have been a dominant force since the March 22 military coup. For his part, Arab League (AL) chief Nabil al-Arabi discussed with Zuma, on the sidelines of the forum, the recent developments in Mali and AL's support for AU's decision in regards to restoring stability in the country. Both sides also discussed the African support for the Palestinian demand for the status of a UN non-member state, and tackled the current efforts to establish free nuclear weapons zone in the Middle East.