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African Union suspends Mauritania over coup
The African Union said on Saturday that it would suspend Mauritania until democracy is restored in the West African nation where soldiers overthrew the president this week, as the coup leader said his junta would continue to hold the deposed president for "security reasons" and urged allies and fellow Arab nations to show understanding to their position. "The African Union will suspend Mauritania until the country returns to a constitutional government," AU chair Tanzania's Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Membe said in a statement on behalf of the continental organization.In the Mauritanian capital, coup leader Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz did not explain the security concerns preventing the release of Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, but told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks published on Saturday that the ousted leader was in good health. "We will not release the deposed president at the time being for security reasons. We are now trying to make calm prevail and avoiding escalation," said Abdel Aziz, who toppled Abdallahi after he tried to sack senior officers. Posted by: Fred 2008-08-10 |
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