The West African group ECOWAS said it rejected the idea of a separate Islamic state in northern Mali, and new French President Francois Hollande urged African leaders on Tuesday to ask the U.N. Security Council to help restore stability in the region.
Hollande said France, the former colonial ruler, would be ready to help restore stability in Mali if there was a Security Council resolution.
I've long thought France is the only power that can defeat the new Islamist/Tuareg government in northern Mali any time soon. If it takes a UN Security Council resolution to get them to move, so be it.
Hopefully, the Russians and Chinese don't get all difficult as they tend to do.
The French won't comment on the readiness status of their forces in the region.