Senegalese Premier Meets Mauritanian President Taya

June 5, 2000

Jedna Deida
PANA Correspondent

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (PANA) - Mauritanian President Maaouya Sid'Ahmed
Taya held talks Monday afternoon in Nouakchott with the visiting
Senegalese Prime Minister Moustapha Niasse and foreign minister, Cheikh
Tidiane Gadio.

Niasse told newsmen later that the visit was to reciprocate the tour made
by a Mauritanian delegation in Dakar, thus alluding to Nouakchott's
protest against plans to revive the Fossil Valley irrigation Project in
northern Senegal.

"Mauritania and Senegal are linked by an umbilical cord and are bound to
walk hand in hand," Niasse said, adding that he was warmly welcomed in
Nouakchott.

Observers in the Mauritanian capital noted that Niasse's visit was aimed
at easing the confusion between the two neighbours over the utilisation
of water from River Senegal.

Meanwhile, policemen in Nouakchott, claiming to act on instructions, are
reported to have asked Senegalese citizens to leave the Mauritanian
territory within 15 days.

Tens of thousands of Senegalese nationals, mostly fishmongers and
housemaids based in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, the economic capital in
north-western Mauritania, are thus expected to return home, in line with
the measure taken a few hours after the meeting between Niasse and Taya.

If the Mauritanian government confirms the decision, this would mean that
the two partners failed to ease their differences over Senegal's fossil
valley revitalisation project.

In a comment published Saturday in Nouakchott, AMI accused Senegal of
trying to torpedo the Senegal River Development Organisation by
implementing the irrigation project.

The execution of the Senegalese irrigation project has lowered the water
level on the Mauritanian bank of the river.

In its report, the Mauritanian news agency had said that arable land had
started to dry up at an "unprecedented" rate due to the pumping of 30 to
50 cubic metres of water by Senegal to meet its own needs.

Another report by the Moroccan news agency said that King Mohammed VI of
Morocco has called for the two sides to show "restraint" in dealing with
the water issue.

It said that the King held telephone conversations Sunday with the
Mauritanian and Senegalese leaders to discuss the situation and that he
offered to mediate between the two parties, if necessary.

He urged "the two brotherly countries to observe restraint," calling on
them to "continue to privilege dialogue and co-operation on all issues of
development in their border region, notably in the framework of OMVS,"
the Moroccan agency added.

According to AMI, the implementation of Senegal's project is contrary to
undertakings by Dakar, notably under Article 4 of the Convention of 11
March 1971 governing the creation of OMVS, which groups Mali, Mauritania
and Senegal.

In a statement published Sunday in Dakar, Senegalese authorities stressed
that there was "no problem" between Mauritania and Senegal. "There is no
threat over Mauritanians living in Senegal," they said.

Nationals of both countries, fearing an aggravation of the situation, had
started leaving their respective host countries, despite assurances from
both sides.

Violent clashes took place in 1989 between Mauritanian and Senegalese
communities in both countries.

In its comment, the Mauritanian agency had accused Senegal of asking for
weapons from France so as to impose a "diktat" on neighbour countries,
which Nouakchott described as "unacceptable."
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