Ouagadougou denies involvement in coup plot

The government of Burkina Faso has denied being behind a plot to topple Mauritanian President Maaouiya Ould Taya as authorities in Nouakchott continue to accuse it of conspiring with Libya to destabilise the region. Mauritania has said that two former army officers, who masterminded a failed coup last year, had planned to lead commando units from Burkina Faso and Libya earlier this month in a second attempt at ousting Ould Taya, this time while he was away in France on state business. "Our astonishment was absolute when we heard the accusations, that are without foundation," Djibril Bassolet, the Burkinabe minister for security, told a press conference on Friday. "No Mauritanian army officer is being trained in Burkina, and there have certainly been no preparations for a coup d'etat from our soil," he added. Ould Taya has withstood several attempts by dissident army factions to unseat him, since he seized the Mauritanian reins of power in a coup two decades ago. In June 2003, fighting raged in the capital Nouakchott for two days after ex-army officers Saleh Ould Hanenna and Mohamed Cheikhna tried to unseat him. Forces loyal to Ould Taya eventually regained control. But Mauritanian authorities say Burkina Faso, acting as Libya's stooge, has been harbouring the two plotters while they mapped out their next coup attempt which was to have taken place between 16 and 20 August. Defence Minister Baba Ould Sidi dismissed Burkina's denial of involvement, saying the government was feigning ignorance and that the two men were being protected by an advisor close to Burkina President Blaise Compaore. "Burkina has two choices: to hand over those involved in the putsch or to continue its aggression against our country," Ould Sidi told reporters on Friday. Libya waded into the fray on Saturday, declaring its innocence and challenging Mauritania to come up with evidence. "Libya denies completely the allegations directed against the country," Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation Minister Mohammed Abdel-Rahman Shalgam was quoted as saying by Reuters. "Mauritania should prepare and present its evidence and present it for investigation," he said, adding that Libya would be asking the Arab Maghreb Union, the Arab League and the African Union to investigate the matter. Diplomats say Libya's relations with Mauritania have cooled since Ould Taya established full diplomatic relations with Israel in 1999 and shifted support from former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to the United States. Mauritania has arrested 31 military officers in connection with the latest alleged coup attempt, including seven colonels.