Mauritanian President Mohammad Ould Abdel Aziz, who has opposed sending troops to combat extremists in northern Mali, said Monday he would not rule out contributing to a UN force if the situation improves.

Mauritanian President Mohammad Ould Abdel Aziz, who has opposed sending troops to combat extremists in northern Mali, said Monday he would not rule out contributing to a UN force if the situation improves.

"If the situation changes... there will be nothing preventing Mauritania, as a UN member, from sending troops to the north (of Mali) or in the country's western regions to provide stability and security," he said at a press conference.

Abdel Aziz explained that Mauritania, one of the countries in the region with the best knowledge of Al-Qaeda groups, had not sent fighting units to support the ongoing French-led effort because it was not ready.

Former colonial power France on January 11 sent fighter jets and troops to Mali to prevent hardline extremist groups who had occupied northern Mali since last April from gaining further ground and threatening the capital.

Several members of the regional bloc ECOWAS have volunteered hundreds of troops to take part in a military force to support the embattled transitional government in Bamako.

Abdel Aziz stressed his country had already played "a very important part" in the military offensive by monitoring Mauritania's border with Mali, blocking supply lines and escape routes for extremist forces.

The United Nations has barely begun looking into the feasibility of a UN peacekeeping force in Mali and France has warned any deployment was still months away.