Mauritanian politicians back coup; Bouteflika declines meeting with junta envoy
2008-08-14
More than two-thirds of Mauritania's parliamentarians signed a declaration Wednesday (August 13th) backing the military junta responsible for last week's coup, local and international press reports said.
Also Wednesday, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika refused to meet with a special envoy sent to Algiers by the new Mauritanian leader, General Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz, El Khabar reported.
Algeria’s African Affairs Minister Abdelkader Messahel was instead assigned to convey the official Algerian position to Mauritanian envoy Mohamed Ould Cheikh Mohamed Ahmed. In a statement, Messahel expressed the "constant position of Algeria, which condemns the "unconstitutional" regime change. "Algeria's position is in line with international organisations, notably the African Union," the ministry communiqué added.
In related news, a Mauritanian deputy was injured Wednesday outside parliament by a tear gas bottle thrown by police to disperse a rally of some 200 women opposed to the coup, APA reported.
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