PARIS (Reuters) – France said on Friday it wanted the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution by December 20 mandating the deployment of an African Union mission to combat Islamist extremists in northern Mali.

The fall of Mali’s north to Islamist groups, including al Qaeda’s North African wing AQIM, has created a haven for militants and international organized crime groups in West Africa, stirring fears of attacks in Europe.

„We intend to move forward fairly quickly,“ Foreign Ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot told reporters. „It’s a resolution that could be voted between December 10-20.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/11/30/uk-france-mali-idUKBRE8AT0U420121130