Statement by the Department of State of the United States regarding the recent meeting of the Council for Security and Peace of the African Union in Addis Ababa concerning the Mauritanian political crisis
The United States welcomes the firm and principled position with respect to the military junta in Mauritania taken by the African Union’s Peace and Security Council. We support the strong leadership shown by the African Union in addressing the crisis in Mauritania created by the coup d’état of August 6, 2008.
The United States joins with the Peace and Security Council in condemning the coup d’état and subsequent measures taken by the military junta and in reaffirming the “legitimacy of the constitutional order represented by the democratically elected institutions from the legislative and presidential elections respectively held in November 2006 and March 2007.”
We urge the military junta to abandon unilateral efforts to organize early elections that have no constitutional basis and can only lead to greater isolation.
Washington, December 26th, 2008