Nouakchott, October 08: Constitutional rule has been restored in Mauritania, according to an evaluation team sent by the European Union, which imposed sanctions after a military coup in August 2008.
“The return to constitutional order during a consensual process of ending a crisis has formally been achieved,” EU delegation member Filiberto Sebregondi told a news conference late Wednesday.
This step was necessary under article 96 of the Contonou accords, which regulate EU cooperation with developing countries, and Sebregondi said that the EU council will take a decision on renewed cooperation with Mauritania “in a few weeks.”
In an August 2008 coup, General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz ousted president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. After resigning his commission, Ould Abdel Aziz was elected head of state last July in a poll where the opposition has denounced “massive fraud.”
Sebregondi said that while Brussels sent no observers for the presidential poll, the EU “takes account” of the view of other international observers who called the election “free, legal and transparent.”
After the military coup, Brussels continued to honour its financial engagements in hand with Mauritania, worth 87 million euros (128 million dollars), notably for a fisheries agreement.
But the EU suspended its cooperation programme for 2008-2013, which is worth 156 million euros.
—Agencies