The UN Security Council has approved a resolution that gives West African nations 45 days to offer details of a plan for international military intervention in Mali, now split in two.
The text approved by the council on Friday also urges authorities in Bamako and representatives of Tuareg rebels and Islamist fighters controlling the north to "engage, as soon as possible, in a credible negotiation process".
The members warned that the process should be undertaken with a view towards "a sustainable political solution, mindful of the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Mali".
Mali descended into chaos in March when soldiers toppled the president, leaving a power vacuum that enabled Tuareg rebels to seize two-thirds of the country.
Al Jazeera's Kristen Saloomey reports from New York.
