France hails results of conference on Mali

France on Thursday praised as “a success” the outcome of the international donor conference for Mali held Wednesday in Brussels where participants pledged Euros 3.2 billion (USD 4.1 billion) for the reconstruction and development needs of that country.

Over one hundred delegations, including 13 Heads of State, gave a resounding message of support for Mali and the financial commitments made went well beyond the initial target of Euros 2.0 billion.

“France has committed to pay Euros 280 million on a bilateral level, in addition to its multilateral commitments,” a French statement said here Thursday.

“We will notably participate at the level of 20 percent of the European Union aid, which totals Euros 520 million,” the Foreign Ministry said.

This means total French aid should be close to Euros 400 million.