{{Government officials in Mali have held the first direct talks with rebel groups that seized the north of the country after a coup earlier this year.}}<\/p>\n
The Burkina Faso meeting paves the way for more talks with Tuareg and Islamist rebels, as both have pledged to respect national unity and reject terrorism.<\/p>\n
The West African regional group Ecowas had said it was ready to deploy 3,300 troops to reclaim rebel-held territory.<\/p>\n
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon backed a one-year deployment last week.<\/p>\n
But he did not offer any financial support, and said African nations needed to answer basic questions about how the force – which would have the acronym Afisma – would be run.<\/p>\n
Mr Ban said funding for any military operations should come from “voluntary or bilateral contributions”.
\nPublic unconvinced<\/p>\n
Tuesday’s talks in Ouagadougou resulted in the much-weakened separatist Tuareg rebels confirming they were renouncing hopes for an independent state in the country’s north.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile the Islamist Ansar Dine group pledged to reject all forms of extremism, although the group has yet to prove this on the ground by cutting links with al-Qaeda-linked groups.<\/p>\n
The Malian authorities now face a potentially bigger issue, adds our correspondent: Convincing all political parties and the population that it is indeed possible to sit down with both groups.<\/p>\n
Shocked by a series of atrocities attributed to Islamists or Tuareg rebels, most Malians believe the time for negotiations is up and that a military intervention only will solve this crisis, he adds.<\/p>\n
Islamists and Tuareg rebels captured large swathes of northern Mali after a coup in Bamako in March.<\/p>\n
Their alliance then collapsed, with the Islamists taking the region’s main urban centres.<\/p>\n
The Islamists have destroyed ancient shrines in Timbuktu and have imposed a strict version of Islamic law, sparking international outrage.<\/p>\n
BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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