UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon has voiced his deep regret at Wednesday’s overthrow by military leaders of the Mauritanian Government led by President Sidi Mohamed Ould Chiekh Abdallahi. “The Secretary-General calls for respect for the rule of law and for the immediate restoration of constitutional order in the country,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement in New York. Mr. Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was elected President after multi-party democratic elections last year. The coup was launched by generals of the armed forces after President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi tried to dismiss them including the head of the Presidential Guard, Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz. They ousted the country’s first freely-elected leader and formed a State Council to rule the country after detaining President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi along with his Prime Minister Yahia Ould Ahmed El-Ouakef. President Abdallahi came to power last year, taking over from a military junta.
