U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
____________________________________________________
For Immediate Release October 17, 2008
2008/
Statement by Sean McCormack, Spokesman
Mauritania: Travel Restrictions
The Secretary of State on October 16, 2008 imposed travel restrictions to the United States on certain members of the military junta and the government, as well as other individuals who support policies or actions that undermine Mauritania’s return to constitutional rule.
On August 6, 2008 Mauritania’s first democratically elected government was overthrown by a military coup. The Mauritanian people deserve the right to the democracy they worked so hard to obtain and to enjoy the security and development that can only come with democracy. The United States strongly supports the efforts of the African Union, and reiterates our call for the unconditional release of President Abdallahi and the immediate restoration of constitutional order in Mauritania.