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Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjoand Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi, have jointly asked the military junta in Mauritania to take immediate steps to end military rule there, Obasanjo's spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjoand Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi, have jointly asked the military junta in Mauritania to take immediate steps to end military rule there, Obasanjo's spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
Obasanjo, who is also the current chairman of the 53-member African Union (AU), met with Ghaddafi in the northern port city ofSirte in Libya on Monday, the official News Agency of Nigeria quoted Oluremi Oyo as saying.
They condemned the military coup which overthrew President Maaouyia Ould Taya's 21-year rule in Mauritania on August 3, and "reminded the junta that Africa had spoken with one voice against the undemocratic change of power," Oyo said.
She also quoted the two leaders as saying that with the military government in power, Mauritania would have no place in the AU as the regional body would not allow unconstitutional change of power within its fold.
They, therefore, urged the military leaders to take immediate steps to speedily return their country to constitutionality and the rule of law, said Oyo.
Obasanjo had on Thursday met with a delegation from the Mauritanian military junta and asked them to return their country to constitutional rule, notwithstanding the claim to popularity ofthe government.
A 17-man military junta, comprised of elite members of Mauritania's army, launched the coup on August 3 while Taya was abroad attending the funeral of the late Saudi King Fahd.
Coup leader Ely Ould Mohammed Vall said then the move was aimedat saving Mauritania from crisis and restoring constitutional order to the nation and that his military regime has no intention of staying in power.
Vall, the former national security chief, also said the transitional period may be shortened from two years to a few months if everything goes smoothly.
The AU had expressed its opposition to the coup and suspended Mauritania's membership in the organization. However, it is not calling for the reinstatement of exiled Taya.