EU issues ultimatum to Mauritania
Posted by travelhouseuk on October 21, 2008
The European Union held talks on Monday with Mauritania’s military government formed after an August coup, and threatened to apply sanctions if it failed to move to restore constitutional rule within one month.The EU said it would provide only direct humanitarian aid to the Mauritanian population.The European Union said it would be minimising cooperation with the military-appointed administration set up after the August 6 coup that deposed President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.In a statement issued after Monday’s talks in Paris, the EU said the new military leaders of the west Saharan Islamic state had made “fundamentally unconstitutional” proposals at Monday’s talks and told them to do better, according to the Reuters.”During the opening meeting, the European Union did not receive any satisfactory proposals from the Mauritanian side,” the 27-nation bloc said in the statement issued by France, which holds the rotating EU presidency.
The EU wants Mauritania to bow to international demands for the release and restoration to office of President Abdallahi, and said no progress was made in the negotiations.
“The proposals and commitments from Mauritania do not include the immediate and unconditional release of the legitimate president, and they remain fundamentally unconstitutional and illegitimate,” the EU statement said.There was no immediate reaction from Mauritania’s military rulers in Nouakchott.
Abdallahi, Mauritania’s first democratically elected president who won a multi-party vote last year, was toppled by a group of generals led by presidential guard chief Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz whom the president had tried to dismiss.The EU said it wanted a dialogue with the president and it would give the military government a month to come up with proposals marking real progress.
“If there are no new elements within a month, the consultations will be terminated and appropriate measures will be proposed,” the statement said.
The United States has imposed travel restrictions on some members of the military government and frozen some of its aid to Mauritania. France, the country’s former colonial ruler, and the World Bank have also suspended some aid.The African Union (AU) has suspended Mauritania over the coup, and had threatened sanctions if Abdallahi was not freed before October 6. However, several AU members in the region appear to have given tacit approval to the coup.
