BRUSSELS The European commission is expected Wednesday to halt consultations with Togo, and the European Union (EU) will not renew cooperation with the West African country, suspended since 1992, officials said here. The consultations began in late July following presidential elections won by incumbent President Gnassingbe Eyadema with 52 percent of the vote, with international observers deeming the exercise flawed. The EU suspended cooperation with Togo in 1992 citing a lack of democracy and alleging human rights abuses by Eyadema, who has been in power since 1967. In October, the EU's top decision-making body, the Council of Ministers, sent a letter to Togolese Foreign Minister Joseph Kokou Koffigoh calling for progress in the direction of the re-establishment of the state of law and civil peace in Togo. The letter added that the events that have occurred since did not meet expectations.

The halt in consultations will still allow the EU to hold a political dialog with Lome and provide aid to the Togolese people, the official said. (AFP)