The West Africa bloc ECOWAS deplores "the lack of progress made in the preparations for the elections" in Mali and upholds a suspension of the Republic of Guinea from the union. In a statement made following an extraordinary meeting held in Accra, Ghana, ECOWAS Commission President, Jean Claude Kassi Brou, calls on "the African Union, the European Union, the United Nations, and the bilateral and other multilateral partners to endorse and support the implementations of these sanctions." SOUNDBITES