EU welcomes Mali peace deal

EU High Representative Catherine Ashton Wednesday welcomed the signing in the Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou of a peace deal between the Malian authorities and the main rebel group, National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA). "This agreement is of historical significance. It is a crucial step in the process of building peace through dialogue," she said in a statement. Ashton noted that the European Union has given its full support to the negotiations. It will remain alongside all Malians to facilitate the implementation of the agreement in all its dimensions, she added. The two sides reached the agreement after several days of talks brokered by Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore.