Le Monde newspaper on Tuesday put online a letter dated September 1 sent by Niger officials warning about an armed group seeking to abduct foreign workers in the desert area where seven expats were kidnapped on September 16.

The letter said the security situation in the Arlit region -- where Areva runs uranium mines and where the five French nationals, a Togolese and a Madagascan were kidnapped by Al-Qaeda linked militants -- was deteriorating.

It said that on August 23, a group of armed men in a column of eight Toyotas was chased off by Niger's defence forces and prevented from carrying out their suspected plan to kidnap foreigners and seize military material.

The letter, addressed to Areva directors and the heads of other firms operating in the mining region, was signed by the top Niger official in the Arlit region, Captain Seydou Oumanou, and asked for help to fight the threat.

Areva has been criticised over its security measures for its workers in the west African state. It has denied refusing help from the Niger government to protect workers but admitted it had made security mistakes.

The seven hostages all worked for French companies involved in uranium mining in the Arlit region.

Questioned by AFP, Areva -- which bolstered security in July after AQIM executed French hostage Michel Germaneau -- could not say which, if any, security measures it had taken after receiving the letter.

Areva only said it sent its deputy head of security, former general Patrick Champenois, to meet with Nigerien military leaders as well as Captain Oumanou, after which he briefed the French ambassador and military attache in Niamey.

"Everyone will understand that Areva cannot deal with a threat of this magnitude alone," the group's head of communication Jacques-Emmanuel Saulnier said on Wednesday.

Le Monde's revelations have stoked a blame game between Areva and the Nigerien authorities over responsibility for security flaws that allowed the militants to kidnap the expats from their homes in the middle of the night.

Areva said on Tuesday that it would begin a "detailed internal analysis" of its security measures, under late president Francois Mitterrand's former personal chief of staff, retired general Christian Quesnot.

Areva's management of the crisis, the worst yet to have hit the group, has also struggled thanks to the complete silence of its boss, Anne Lauvergeon.

Lauvergeon, a captain of industry who is normally very fond of appearing in the media, has made no public appearance since the beginning of the crisis.

"No appearance is planned in the immediate future," an Areva spokesman said on Wednesday.

The group has also declined all requests for television interviews, although a spokeswoman said on Wednesday that Lauvergeon met relatives of two of the hostages, a couple.

"Mrs Lauvergeon has been completely dedicated to this crisis since the beginning, in coordination with the highest state authorities," said a spokeswoman, who asked not to be named.

A source familiar with the crisis said that French President Nicolas Sarkozy's reaction to the hostage taking was highly critical of Lauvergeon.

It was rumoured earlier this year that Sarkozy wanted her to stand down as Areva boss, although a source told AFP in July that she would complete her term, which is due to run out in June next year.

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