The race involves motorbikes, cars and trucks competing to reach Dakar in the fastest time [AFP]

The race, which involves motorbikes, cars and trucks competing to arrive in the Senegalese capital in the fastest time, had been due to start in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, on Saturday.
 
Eight of the 15 stages were to have been held in Mauritania.

It was the first time in the race's 30-year history that it has failed to go ahead.

The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) said on Friday that there had been "direct threats against the race issued by terrorist groups".
 
The French government had expressed concerns about the route of the race and suggested that it skip Mauritania. It also advised against all travel to the country.

"Following several consultations with the French government ... and taking into account its firm recommendations, the organisers of the Dakar have taken the decision to cancel the 2008 edition of the rally scheduled for January 5-20 between Lisbon and the Senegalese capital," the ASO said.

Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, "hailed the organisers' courage and wisdom" in calling off the rally, Pascale Andreani, a spokeswoman for his ministry said.

But Babah Sidi Abdallah, the Mauritanian foreign minister, criticised the French organisers of the competition.

"No new element can justify the concern expressed by the French organisers," he said.

"We have taken every measure to ensure that the rally goes forward without incident."

Family murdered

The members of the French family were shot dead as they picnicked on the side of a road on December 24 in a town 250km east of the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott.

Only the father of the family survived.

However, the government of Mauritania said on Wednesday that was "not a single serious claim" linking the group to the attacks and suggested cross-border crime was as likely to be behind the twin attacks.

Last week, the interior ministry announced that 2,000 soldiers would be mobilised in addition to a similar number of plain-clothes security officers to safeguard the event.

Daniel Bilalian of France-Televisions, a TV partner of the endurance rally, told Europe-1 radio that "wisdom had prevailed".

"There were risks, warnings had been given ... if the slightest thing, the slightest incident had happened in Mauritania, not to mention accidents or attacks, then the whole credibility of ASO would have been called into question and ASO could not allow that."

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