"France has suspended counterterrorism cooperation with Mali and ordered two staff members of the West African nation's consulate to leave, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has said. The two staff members from the Malian embassy and consulate in Paris have been declared persona non grata, France's foreign ministry added, while Mali declared five French embassy staff members persona non grata. The suspension announced on Friday comes after a French man, Yann Vezilier, was arrested in Mali last month on charges of plotting a coup."
"Mali's army said at the time that some civilians and soldiers had obtained the help of foreign states in their attempt to destabilise the country. Mali's security minister, General Daoud Aly Mohammedine, said Vezilier had acted on behalf of the French intelligence service, which mobilised political leaders, civil society actors and military personnel in Mali. Paris said the charges were unfounded. The French foreign ministry said Vezilier was a member of its embassy in the capital Bamako."
"The two Malian diplomats being expelled were told to leave in response to Vezilier's arrest, a French diplomatic source told the AFP news agency. French media reported that they had to leave by Saturday. The source added that other measures would be implemented soon, if our national is not released quickly. France said in August that it was in talks with Mali to clear up any misunderstanding and secure the immediate release of the arrested envoy."
France suspended counterterrorism cooperation with Mali and declared two Malian embassy and consulate staff in Paris persona non grata, ordering them to leave. Mali reciprocated by declaring five French embassy staff persona non grata. The move followed the arrest of Yann Vezilier, a French national accused of plotting a coup, with Malian authorities alleging foreign involvement to destabilise the country. Mali's security minister accused Vezilier of acting for French intelligence; France rejected the charges and said Vezilier was an embassy member. Bilateral ties have deteriorated since the military takeover, with Mali expelling French forces and seeking Russian support amid a long-running security crisis.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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