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| Arabia |
| Mauritanian president visits Yemen |
| 2005-05-29 |
| NOUAKCHOTT - President Maaouiya Ould Taya departed on Saturday for a first-ever visit by a Mauritanian head of state to Yemen, a four-day swing aimed to reinforce bilateral cooperation. A statement from the presidency said Taya would join a series of talks with his counterpart Ali Abdullah Saleh, hoping to boost bilateral ties and "coordinate their positions on questions of common interest". The warming of their relations began in April with the signature of six cooperation accords, in terms of investment, economics and education, as well as a vow to coordinate politically and globally. The last may be a reference to the anti-terrorism fight enthusiastically championed by the leaders of the two impoverished countries. Mauritania has launched a crackdown on the vast northwest African state's Islamists, accusing them of links to the Al Qaeda network and jailing dozens of their most prominent leaders and religious teachers. Yemen, meanwhile is currently trying eight suspected Al Qaeda militants for plotting attacks on Western targets and for plotting to assassinate senior Yemeni officials. |
| Posted by:Steve White |