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Donor conference amasses 3.25 bln euros for rebuilding MaliBRUSSELS, May 15, 2013 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The international donors made a decision to mobilize 3.25 billion euro in supporting Mali's reconstruction, said a press release issue by the European Commission on Wednesday. "Donors have made public financial commitments on the basis of the Plan for the Sustainable Recovery of Mali 2013-2014 (PRED) presented by the Malian government. Of the 4.343-billion euro budget needed to implement the PRED, financial commitments and pledges for a total of 3.25 billion euros, have been announced by the donors," said a statement issue by the European Commission following the international donor conference on Mali, organized by the European Union (EU) together with France and Mali in Brussels. "It is crucial that Mali's social and economic development and the consolidation of a stable state built on solid democratic foundations go hand in hand with efforts to stabilize the country," said the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, "Today marks an important step forward in the social, economic and democratic renewal of Mali." "This show of solidarity is crucial for all Malians and the country as a whole, the future of which concerns not only the entire Sahel region but international stability," he said, "The European Union is proud to be at the forefront of these efforts." "Mali is on the road to recovery. It is recovering its territorial integrity, is actively preparing for the presidential elections in July and, with the International donor conference in Brussels, is making progress in its development," said French President Francois Hollande. According to Mali's interim President Dioncounda Traore, in addition to the initiative to raise funds for the reconstruction of Mali, the European Union will also help to bring Mali out of its crisis from both a security and political perspective by providing training for the defense and security forces through the EUTM (European Union Training Mission) and support for the elections. (1 euro = 1.29 U.S. dollars) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] |