By Lougri Dimtalba
OUAGADOUGOU
Burkina Faso's opposition on Tuesday welcomed statements by the Mauritanian president in which he announced the African Union (A.U.)'s decision not to impose sanctions on the West African country, according to Mauritania's state-run news agency.
Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz also serves as the A.U.'s current chairperson.
"It is good that the [African] Union lends such interest to the situation in Burkina Faso and comes to examine it," former foreign minister and ex-opposition parliamentarian Ablasse Ouedraogo told Anadolu Agency.
"All we can do is welcome such a visit and the support expressed by the African organization," he said.
The A.U. chairperson's statements come in light of the Burkinabe army's decision to hand over power to a transitional government only days after the A.U. gave Lieut. Col. Isaac Zida, Burkina Faso's interim president, 15 days to relinquish power to a civilian body.
Zida has come under considerable pressure from the A.U. and the international community to hand over power before Monday.
Ould Abdel Aziz arrived in Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou on Monday night, where he met representatives from the country's civil society, political elite and military.
Late last month, Burkina Faso descended into chaos after the country's ex-president, Blaise Compaore, proposed a constitutional amendment that would have allowed him to seek another term in office.
In power since 1987, Compaore was ultimately forced to step down amid massive street protests against the amendment proposal. He has since moved with his family to the Ivory Coast.
On November 1, the Burkinabe army named Zida, the second-in-command in Compaore's presidential guard, new interim president.
The appointment drew the ire of the opposition, however, which asserted that Compaore had left office as the result of popular pressure rather than a military coup.
On Wednesday, West African heads of state agreed with Zida on a one-year transitional plan that would include free elections, an opposition source said Thursday.
The agreement calls for holding parliamentary and presidential polls by November of next year, he added.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
www.aa.com.tr/en
