Abdallahi denies stepping down
2008-11-14 08:50
Nouakchott - Mauritania's deposed president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi denied on Thursday assertions by the junta he had agreed to withdraw from politics.
"I did not make any promises with them (the coup leaders), I have not met with any of them since the putsch," he said at a news conference after junta representatives visited him on Thursday.
Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was moved on Thursday from the capital, where he was held under house arrest since the August 6 coup, to his home village of Lemden about 190km away.
"I told them my transfer to Lemden doesn't change anything in my situation as I remain a president under house arrest," said Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.
The Communications Ministry said Ould Cheikh Abdallahi had agreed to withdraw from politics.
The European Union, threatening sanctions, has given the junta until November 20 to free Ould Cheikh Abdallahi and restore constitutional rule. The coup by the military has been widely condemned by the international community.