- Title: German FM sends condolences to Sweden
- Date: 7th April 2017
- Summary: BAMAKO, MALI (APRIL 7, 2017) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER MARC AYRAULT AND GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER SIGMAR GABRIEL ARRIVING TO MEET WITH MALI PRESIDENT / AYRAULT, GABRIEL ENTER BUILDING AYRAULT, GABRIEL SEATED IN MEETING AYRAULT, GABRIEL SHAKING HANDS WITH MALI PRESIDENT IBRAHIM BOUBACAR KEITA AYRAULT, GABRIEL, MALI MINISTER FOR THE DIASPORA, ABDRAMANE SYLLA, STANDING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER SIGMAR GABRIEL SAYING: "We Germans, but above all also the French, remember similar attacks where a truck drove into people, in this case into a department store to terrify them. A few minutes ago I called my friend, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven to convey our condolences. In such a situation of course one asks oneself what recent incidents have in common: What's happening in Syria? What happened to the young 27-year-old soldier with two children who was shot dead by terrorists here while in action? But also the developments at home in Germany and now in Stockholm. What do they have in common? Of course there are huge differences. People in Mali and in Syria are suffering so much more than we are in Europe. Every dead is one too many, but we know that here in Mali, but also in Syria unbelievable violence was used to try to get a country under control and to terrify people." GABRIEL CAMERAMAN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER MARC AYRAULT SAYING: "Barkhane is a French decision, even if MINUSMA keeps a presence there due to the threat throughout the region and these five countries we now refer to as the G5 Sahel. France decided this (Barkhane) responsibly but of course, looking into the future, the time will come when African countries can ensure their own security. But this time has not yet arrived." CAMERA CREWS FILMING SYLLA (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER MARC AYRAULT SAYING: "It is clear that this terrorist group, the one lead by Iyad Ag Ghali, who declared himself the chief of an organisation much like al Qaeda a few days ago, President Keita informed us, has claimed responsibility for the attack on the forces on the border with Burkina, which led to the death of a young soldier whom I wanted to pay tribute to." GABRIEL, SYLLA, AYRAULT STANDING AT END OF NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 21st April 2017 22:42
- Keywords: Sweden Stockholm attack truck Germany France German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel French Foreign Minister Marc Ayrault Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita
- Location: BAMAKO, MALI
- City: BAMAKO, MALI
- Country: Mali
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA0016BEKJ7R
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Germany's Foreign Minister said he had conveyed his condolences to Sweden after a truck attack on Friday (April 7) killed five people and wounded 15 others in central Stockholm.
Sigmar Gabriel and French Foreign Minister Marc Ayrault held a joint news conference after meeting with French and German soldiers based in the northern Mali town of Gao to counter the Jihadist threat.
Ayrault said wanted Malian jihadist Iyad Ag Ghali has claimed an attack in southern Mali that killed a French soldier this week. A special ceremony will be held for the fallen soldier in Gao on Saturday (April 8) morning.
Islamist groups linked to Ag Ghali have claimed dozens of attacks on Malian, United Nations and French troops operating in Mali's desert north, including the one on Wednesday (April 5), which killed the French soldier.
He also ruled out any talks with jihadist groups after a peace conference in Mali last Sunday called for negotiations with the leaders of two violent Islamist groups.
Former colonial power France intervened in 2013 to push back al Qaeda-linked militants who had hijacked an ethnic Tuareg uprising to seize northern Mali the year before. It has since deployed some 4,000 soldiers, known as the Barkhane force, across the region to hunt down Islamists. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
