Mauritanian junta supporters 'not worried' by AU ultimatum

Monday, 06 October 2008

AFP

Mauritanian riot policemen patrol the streets of Nouakchott during an anti-coup demonstration on October 7, 2008. Police in military-ruled Mauritania clashed on October 7, 2008 with protesters supporting ousted president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, as the African Union urged the junta to reinstate the elected leader.Â Â Â Â Â Â AFP PHOTO / SEYLLOU

NOUAKCHOTT, Oct 6, 2008 (AFP) - Politicians backing the military coup in Mauritania said Monday they were not worried by the African Union ultimatum for the junta to reinstate the ousted president, which is due to expire at midnight.

'We don't care about these (African Union) ultimatums, this doesn't scare anybody,' Sidi Mohamed Ould Maham, a spokesman for the majority of members of parliament who support the new military leadership, said.

Setting an ultimatum 'has never solved any problems', he added.

On September 22 the AU issued an ultimatum for the junta to return Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi to power 'no later than Monday October 6'.

The African bloc warned the military regime that it risked 'sanctions and isolation' if it failed to yield to its demands, but the junta has resisted all diplomatic pressure to restore the elected government.

The leadership has categorically refused international demands for the reinstatement of the president, saying it would not move backwards. The ousted president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was the country's first democratically elected president.

If the junta does not react to the ultimatum, the African Union's Peace and Security Council will meet to consider its response.