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EU to press Mauritania on coup, warns of sanctions
17 Oct 2008 20:48:41 GMT
 Source: Reuters
BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The European Union will press Mauritania's military government next week for a return to constitutional rule and the release of ousted President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.

The bloc could impose sanctions if no progress is made in talks which start in Paris on Monday, the French EU presidency said on Friday.

The United States on Friday imposed travel restrictions on members of Mauritania's military junta and government in response to an August coup that toppled Abdallahi.

The Paris meeting will involve France's Secretary of State for Cooperation Alain Joyandet and EU Aid Commissioner Louis Michel, with military-appointed Prime Minister Ould Mohamed Laghdaf representing the Mauritanian side.

"If the dialogue does not bring about an acceptable solution, appropriate measures will be taken by the European Union," the French statement said.

Abdallahi, the Saharan Islamic state's first freely elected head of state, was viewed by the West as an ally in the U.S.-led global "War on Terrorism".

The United States and former colonial power France suspended some non-humanitarian aid in response and the World Bank froze millions of dollars of development lending.

The European Union and the African Union have threatened more sanctions against the coup leaders unless they release Abdallahi and restore him to office.

Mauritania also exports iron ore and produces oil. This year EU authorities struck a four-year deal to allow fishing in Mauritanian waters, the bloc's single largest such fishing agreement.

Laghdaf said last month Mauritania would turn to Arab states for aid and development funds if Western donors cut assistance.

(Editing by Angus MacSwan)


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Supporters carry a poster of coup leader and former presidential guard chief Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz in Mauritania's capital Nouakchott in this August 7, 2008 file photo. Daniel Magnowski, correspondent for ...


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Last updated:Fri Oct 17 20:50:02 2008