Togo's leader looks increasingly isolated after West African nations cut ties and international calls grew for the new president, installed by the army on his father's death, to step down.
Faure Gnassingbe, son of Africa's longest-serving leader Gnassingbe Eyadema, was named president by the military just hours after his
father's death two weeks ago. The constitution and the electoral code were amended to legitimise the move.
African and world leaders described the succession as a coup and on Saturday, the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) suspended Togo, imposed an arms embargo and banned the former French colony's leaders from travelling in the region.
"We don't like to take hasty decisions, but we will react either with a declaration or directly with actions," said Togo's Communication
Minister Pitang Tchalla on Sunday.
"For the moment, we are thinking about it," he added.
Gnassingbe is also under pressure at home, where at least 10,000 people demonstrated in the capital Lome on Saturday in the largest
protest so far against his rule.
The international outcry came despite a pledge by Gnassingbe on Friday that he would hold presidential elections in 60 days. However, he
indicated he did not intend to step down beforehand.
Under the original constitution, the head of the national assembly, Fambare Ouattara Natchaba, was supposed to take over on Eyadema's
death, pending elections in 60 days.
"Faure Gnassingbe's decision places Togo in a situation of cutting itself off from the international community," said Louis Michel, European
Union commissioner for development and humanitarian aid.
The EU suspended aid to Togo in 1993 because of "democratic deficiencies."
U.S. BACKS ECOWAS
U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Washington backed the ECOWAS decision, and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi
Annan called for urgent efforts to find a peaceful solution in line with constitutional order.
France's foreign ministry said it supported ECOWAS and took positive note of Gnassingbe's pledge to hold elections.
"France regrets, however, that it has not yet been possible to find a solution, in full respect of the constitution, to the question of devolution of
intermediary presidential power," the statement on Sunday said.
Togo's main opposition leader Gilchrist Olympio welcomed the international declarations.
"It looks as if things will point in the right direction but we are not giving up," he told Reuters from Paris where he has lived since a 1992
attempt to assassinate him.
"We are going to continue demonstrations ... until this Gnassingbe son leaves power," he said. "Nobody is going to have elections
organised by Gnassingbe. Everybody has ruled it out."
Togo's authorities say the country risks a dangerous power vacuum if Gnassingbe steps down.
African leaders want to avoid further instability in a region already torn by conflict, most recently in Ivory Coast.
