France 'suspends cooperation' with Mali, says minister.
France had earlier urged that elections be held as soon as possible in Mali, where mutinous soldiers claimed earlier in the day to have seized power in a coup.
"We are attached to respecting democratic and constitutional rules," Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told Europe 1 radio.
"We ask that the constitutional order be restored, elections, they were scheduled for April, they need to take place as soon as possible."
Mali, a former French colony, was to hold the first round of a presidential election on 29 April.
"We have been working for months with our partners in the region and regional organisations to launch a dialogue between the rebels in the north, the Tuareg, and the regime," he said.
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