| [Maghrebia] Mauritanian Justice Minister Abidine Ould El Kheir visited Bamako on Tuesday (August 10th) to discuss greater co-operation with Mali in the fight against al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Talks focused on the fate of Spanish hostages Albert Vilalta and Roque Pascual, kidnapped last November in Mauritania and now held in Mali. Despite the recent raid by Mauritanian and French commandos on an AQIM base, "negotiations are continuing and have a chance to succeed", Journal Tahalil quoted a Malian official as saying under condition of anonymity. |