Mali, ECOWAS close to locking step

Members of a West African political bloc resolved disputes about the deployment of a standby force to help address security issues in Mali, an official said. Interim President Dioncounda Traore this week requested military assistance from members of the Economic Community of West African States. Mali was split when rebel forces, some of which aligned with al-Qaida, claimed control over the north of the country following a coup early this year. ECOWAS said it has a force of around 3,000 troops ready to intervene to help the administration in Bamako. Some leaders in Bamako, however, said it was the responsibility of the government to address internal security issues. Sonny Ugoh, a communications director with the West Africa bloc, was quoted by Voice of America as saying some of the deployment issues were resolved. "We have just concluded a meeting of chiefs of defense staff with their counterparts from Mali to be able to harmonize perspective in relation to the goal to the ECOWAS mission in Mali vis-a-vis the security challenges in the country," he was quoted as saying. Rebels have destroyed historic sites in northern Mali, saying they were out of line with their strict interpretation of Islam.