Cairo  - Ambassador Ahmed bin Heli did not go to Mauritania to give the Arab League's consent to the coup in the West African nation that saw the president toppled, Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa said Tuesday.

"The envoy's visit was not to give the coup the green light. The Arab League will discuss this issue in the next foreign ministers meeting, that will witness Mauritania's attendance," Mussa said.

Last Wednesday, troops arrested Mauritania's President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi only a few hours after he sacked General Ould Abdel Aziz, who engineered the coup, and other senior army officers accused of being behind a political crisis destabilising the country.

NATO and the European Union have condemned the coup, while the US has suspended all non-humanitarian aid to the country. The African Union (AU) announced it will suspend Mauritania until democracy is restored.

Bin Heli said in his report that he met with UN and AU representatives and all three parties agreed to cooperate in order to help Mauritania, Mussa said.

Mussa added he received a detailed report about the situation in Mauritania from the Arab League assistant secretary-general Bin Heli who has headed a delegation there.

"Bin Heli said that everything is working normally including NGOs, syndicates and the parliament," Mussa told reporters, stressing that the Mauritanian people are the main element behind stability in the country.

Bin Heli reported that ousted president Sidi Cheikh Ould Abdallahi is in good health and is well treated, Mussa added. (dpa)