The European Union has extended until next week a deadline it gave Niger for talks about the northwest African country's constitutional crisis, political sources in the desert state said.

World bodies have heaped criticism on Mamadou Tandja, president of the uranium-exporting nation, for earlier this year rewriting his country's constitution to give himself more power and extend his term in office without an election that had been due this month.

At the start of November, the EU froze development aid to Niger in protest at what it said was a "grave violation" of constitutional rule.

At the same time, it gave him 30 days to send an envoy to Brussels for talks to address the union's worries, and called for a "return to constitutional order as soon as possible".

"The government asked for a delay and the EU agreed the EU gave five extra days," said Morou Amadou, a spokesman for the opposition and human rights activist.

The EU agreed to the delay because it wants to work in concert with regional bloc the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), which is also conducting dialogue with authorities in Niger, Amadou said.

"This extension demonstrates a rational reading which the EU is applying to the situation in Niger," said Abdoulkarim Mamallo, a politician close to Tandja.

A delegate is now due in Brussels by December 8, sources said.

source: Reuters