...the Socialist president of La Belle France, and a fine job he's doing of it...
promised on Tuesday.
La Belle France is pushing for a U.N. Security Council resolution which will authorize west African countries to establish a force capable of reclaiming control of northern Mali from Islamic radicals.
Hollande's strong statement of support for the creation of such a force was made following talks here with U.N. Secretary General
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
, who said he shared the French government's concern over the growing influence of Islamists in huge parts of north Africa.
French officials have repeatedly expressed concern
...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended...
that northern Mali is in danger of becoming a new Afghanistan, a breeding ground for Islamic militancy that could pose a threat to the security of western Europe.
Six kidnapped Frenchies are currently being held in the region by the north African branch of al-Qaeda.
Mali's Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra last month asked the U.N. Security Council to sanction the creation of a military force capable of reconquering the north of the country, which has since March been under the control of Islamists who have capitalized on a political vacuum created by a military coup in the capital Bamako.