Bamako, Mali - African leaders met in the capital of the troubled nation of Mali on Friday to prepare their plan for a military intervention to take back the nation's north, which was overrun by al-Qaida-linked rebels six months ago.

The high-level meeting comes after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution last week which gives Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 45 days to help Mali develop a detailed plan to recover the occupied territory. The United States, France and Britain have said they will offer logistical support, but the invasion needs to be led by African troops, and representatives from the nations bordering Mali were meeting to discuss the details.

Jan Eliasson, the U.N. deputy secretary-general told the meeting delegates that whatever military action they decide to take "should not exacerbate existing tensions or worsen an already fragile humanitarian situation."

"Any military action must also support a coherent political strategy for the country's reunification. And for the international community to back an international military force, human rights and humanitarian law must be scrupulously respected," Eliasson said, according to a statement issued by the U.N. news agency.

The meeting brings together representatives from the body for nations in West Africa, the Economic Community of West African States, as well as the chair of the African Union and envoys from the United Nations.