african union supports junta, page-2

re: african union and us support junta New Mauritania government, engineer of normalization with Israel is foreign minister
Mauritania, Politics, 8/11/2005

One week after the military coupe in Mauritania it was disclosed on Wednesday the formation of the new government chaired by Seidi Muhammad Weld Bubaker. The government included 26 ministries including three women and most of them did not occupy ministerial posts before.

Among members of this government are two former ministers who served in earlier governments for the toppled President Mu'aweya Weld Seidi Ahmad al-Taye. They are the minister for foreign affairs Ahmad Weld Seidi Ahmad who was described as the engineer of Mauritania's relations with Israel and Abdullah Weld Suleiman the former minister for economic affairs and development.

It seemed that the appointment of Weld Seidi Ahmad in the post of the foreign ministry was a sort of attempt from the military council to please the USA which strongly supported relations between Nouakchott and Tel Aviv. Relations inaugurated in the agreement which was signed by Ahmad Youssef in Washington with the Israeli side in 1999.

The list does not include the ministry of defense which is most likely kept for Col. Ala Weld Muhammad Faal the chairman of the military council. This government continued during the interim phase which was specified in two years according to commitment made by the ruling military group. Mahfouz Weld Betah, former bar association chief was appointed as a minister of justice.

The US last Monday gave up the idea of demanding the return back of the toppled president to the authority and supported the position of the African Union advocated by its mission in Nouakchott that they trust the new military leaders.

The African Union called to have the interim phase as short as possible and Faal to vow to exert all efforts to carry out the elections quickly.