Johannesburg

Sunday

More sun than clouds. Pleasantly warm.

16°C
28°C

7 day forecasts

AU: Troops for Sao Tome?

2003-07-17 19:52

Coimbra, Portugal - Military intervention may be considered to restore the democratically elected government in Sao Tome and Principe, a spokesperson for the head of the African Union, Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, said on Thursday.

"It is likely that a proposal for military intervention will arise in Abuja," the spokesperson Antonio Montonse, told the Portuguese news agency Lusa while stressing that a negotiated settlement to the crisis in the former Portuguese colony would be preferred.

Sao Tome's deposed president Fradique de Menezes was in Abuja when the coup was launched on Wednesday, and was expected to meet with Chissano - the new head of the 53-member African Union - in the Nigerian capital on Thursday, having already met with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Here in Coimbra, a hilly university town in central Portugal, eight foreign ministers of Portuguese-speaking countries were discussing the crisis, which surged to the top of the agenda at the annual ministerial meeting of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Nations (CPLP).

The CPLP ministers "vehemently" condemned the putsch and said they were prepared to help mediate in the crisis in the tiny west African archipelago.

Mediation

East Timor's foreign minister, Nobel peace prize laureate Jose Ramos Horta, in particular offered his mediation.

Sao Tome's foreign minister, Mateus Meira Rita, was already in Portugal for the meeting at the time of the coup.

Portuguese Foreign Minister Antonio Martins da Cruz said Lisbon was working "quietly" in a quest for dialogue "and building bridges" between the military junta and the deposed government through the Portuguese and US ambassadors in Sao Tome.

The CPLP, which has been deeply divided in the past on issues involving its members such as the Angolan civil war, joined in an international chorus of protest against the coup.

Analysts said the crisis was an opportunity for the seven-year-old CPLP, whose member states have a total population of some 220 million, to find a greater role on the world stage.

In 1995 mediators from CPLP member state Angola persuaded army officers who ousted the then Sao Tome government to return to their barracks a week later.

The CPLP comprises Portugal and its former colonies Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe.

- AFX

inside news24

Weather
Traffic
Lottery
Cpt: 16-23°C Sprinkles early. Morning clouds. Mild. Pta: 18-30°C More sun than clouds. Pleasantly warm.
Jhb: 16-28°C More sun than clouds. Pleasantly warm. Bloem: 17-31°C More sun than clouds. Pleasantly warm.
Dbn: 18-24°C A few showers. Partly sunny. Mild. PE: 16-25°C Morning clouds. Mild.
7 day forecasts...

Jobs - Find your dream job

Multimedia Producer

Gauteng
24.com

Project Controls Manager

Gauteng
Master Career Consulting

Financial Accountant

Mpumalanga
Network Recruitment CA- Centurion
R400,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company

Cars - Search 1000's of new and used cars

AUDI

2009 Audi A3 2.0 T Sportback Manual - 24000kms
Lava Grey & Tan leather interior
R 275 000

VOLKSWAGEN

Caddy 1.9 TDi Life MPV Dsl
2008
R 199,989.00

FORD

Ranger 1.8 NRH XL
2006
R 89,900.00

AUDI

A4 2.0T FSi Ambition 132kW MY09
2009
R 378,480.00

Property - Find a new home

WATERVAL EAST

Single Residential R2,400,000

KWAAIWATER

Single Residential R2,500,000

WELBEDACHT

Single Residential R2,600,000

Travel - Look, Book, Go!

Luxury bush escape

Book a five-star stay at Pumba Game Lodge or Richard Branson's Ulusaba Safari Lodge and save R2 000. More details!

Free Games - TOO MUCH NEWS? TAKE A BREAK!

Kalahari.net - shop online today

Great Festive Savings on Books

Up to 30% Off ALL Books. 2.3 million titles on SALE.

Sleek New iPod Range. Order Your's Now!

iPod nano 16GB - Black, Was R2,499.00 Now R2,299.00! Save R200!

Up to 40% off Fabulous Festive Flicks

46 000 DVDs and Blu-Ray on sale now! Pre-order Up and District 9!

Up to 20% off ALL Music

100s of festive new releases now in stock! Now, Bump 25, Bon Jovi & more!

1000s of Festive Toys on Sale

Lots of Toys, free gift wrap, lowest prices on Lego Mindstorm, Ben 10, Hannah Montana & more!

Hot Deal of the Day!

Up to 30% off Books

Ends midnight, 30 November

2.3 million titles on sale! New Stieg Larsson, Jeremy Clarkson, Jamie Oliver & more!

Up to 40% Off Sale on All Books, Toys, CDs, DVDs & Games!