The president of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, said here late on Monday that the sub-regional organization would not exclude anyway of recovering the territorial integrity of Mali.

Ouedraogo said this at the 37th ECOWAS Day celebration in Abuja, adding that although constitutional rule had been restored in Mali, ECOWAS would not relent in its effort to restore stability in the north.

The ECOWAS Protocol on Crisis Prevention and Management had served as a guide to resolve the crises in Mali and Guinea-Bissau, he added.

He told his audience that measures were being taken to ensure that coups did not recur in the sub-region and called on member states to work together toward the promotion of peace and stability.

Assessing the progress of ECOWAS in the last 37 years, Ouedraogo said the regional body had achieved almost 50 percent of its targets.

He also said a lot still needed to be done, especially in the areas of democracy and stability as well as inter-regional trade.