U.N. chief calls for immediate release of Mali president, others

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the arrest of Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and top government officials by mutinying soldiers on Tuesday, calling for their immediate release, a U.N. spokesman said.

"The Secretary-General ... calls for the immediate restoration of constitutional order and rule of law in Mali," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.