France welcomes nomination of Romano Prodi as UN envoy to Sahel

The French government on Wednesday said it welcomed the appointment of former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi as new UN special envoy for the Sahel region, which is wracked by conflict and underdevelopment and threatened by radical groups like the Al Qaeda for an Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which is installed in northern Mali. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon held talks here Monday and Tuesday with senior French officials, headed by President Francois Hollande, and they discussed Prodi's appointment and also a French UN Security Council resolution being presented on Mali. France wants UN approval for a military intervention by West African forces to oust AQIM from Mali. The West African force of about 3,400 men would be backed logistically by France, principally, and the EU and probably the US. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has already been in contact with Prodi and a meeting between the two men is being set up, diplomats said here. "It will be up to Prodi to coordinate United Nations action on all the challenges in the region: humanitarian, development, governance, security (and) France will support his action," a French statement said here.