Coup in Mali "unacceptable": UN Special Representative

GENEVA, March 30 (Xinhua) -- The military coup in Mali on March 22 which overthrew the country's democratically-elected president is "unacceptable," Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for West Africa Said Djinnit said Friday.

"The military coup is not a solution to the critical problems faced by the people of Mali," Djinnit told reporters.

A group of soldiers calling themselves the National Committee for Redressement of Democracy and Restoration of the State (CNRDR) toppled President Amadou Toumani Toure, accusing him of poorly handling the Tuareg rebels in northern Mali.

Djinnit said the Economic Community of West African (ECOWAS) countries would impose a number of sanctions against the junta of Mali and he hoped the sanctions would not affect the country's ordinary population.

"I'm sure that the combined efforts of the ECOWAS, the African Union, with the support of the rest of the international community will create conditions for the junta to understand they have no other option than to leave power and to restore democratic institutions in the country," he said.

Djinnit confirmed that the ousted President Toure was alive and in good health. He urged the junta to ensure the safety of the former leader and release those detained during the coup.

He said the ECOWAS would seek the support of the UN Security Council.