Mauritania: First round of dialogue with opposition is in October

The federation of the Mauritania opposition progress party which proposed a initiative for dialogue between the government and the opposition parties had announced that the ruling social democratic republican party stressed its consent to fully take part in the dialogue which will start in October.

The chairman of the party Muhammad Wild Mawloud explained in a meeting he held with the secretary of the Republican party al-Walid Wild Widad that the Republican party approved initially to take part but it proposed "matters" it wants to take into consideration before convening the "proposed" political meetings."

This is, however, the first time in which the Republican party, which rules Mauritania since 1992 will hold dialog with one of the opposition political formations.

The initiative for the dialogue between the government and the opposition aims at avoiding a confrontation between the sides of the political game as happened in other African countries like "the Ivory coast, Madagascar and Congo, etc."

October 19 was set as a date to convene the dialogue. Presidential elections will be held in Mauritania in December 2003.