(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-01-05 16:53

Rally organizers and competitors were initially defiant saying they were willing to take the risk, but the pressure increased early Friday with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner adding his voice of warning.

"We are warning them - it is dangerous," Kouchner said.

"I hope that they have understood, but it's their business, they are a private organization.

Apart from the deaths of the four French tourists there have been concerns that an Al-Qaeda group is active in northern Africa and could target the high-profile race.

The Mauritanian government said the shooting of the French tourists and a separate attack on a military base that left three soldiers dead were isolated incidents and that claims of an Al-Qaeda plot had yet to be substantiated.

The Dakar Rally has been held uninterrupted since 1979 although there have been regular calls for its cancellation over security fears and the danger the fast-travelling vehicles pose to local populations.

Despite the decision to cancel this year's race, organizers insisted that future editions would go ahead.

 

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