U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Friday congratulated the Malian parties on the adoption of a roadmap at the end of the first round of peace talks, while voicing his concern at the deteriorating security situation in parts of northern Mali. "He commends participants for their willingness to engage in constructive dialogue in line with the June 18, 2013, Ouagadougou Agreement," a spokesman for Ban said in a statement. The agreement, signed in the capital Burkina Faso last year by the Tuareg rebel groups from northern Mali and the government, allows the Malian regular army, as well as its civil administration, to gradually return to the region of Kidal, held by rebels since 2012. Despite some improvements since the signing of the accord last year, the situation in northern Mali has deteriorated since the beginning of 2014. The secretary-general remains "deeply concerned" by the deteriorating security situation, including armed confrontations, the spokesman said. Ban called on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and to cooperate with the joint security commission – agreed on during the week-long peace negotiations that ended Thursday in Algiers – that will be led by the U.N. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). "This is essential to foster conditions favorable to the progress of the ongoing talks," the statement said.
