Mauritania, 2007

I am pleased to extend my warmest

congratulations to you, Sir, on your election as

President of the General Assembly at its sixty-second

session. We have every confidence in your efforts to

strengthen peace within a global system characterized

by justice, balance and stability.

I would also like to congratulate your

predecessor, Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, on her

successful efforts to advance debate and dialogue on

the main concerns and problems of our day.

I also wish to congratulate and thank Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon, who, from the day he took

office, began to promote the reform of the

Organization, in addition to addressing international

peace and security issues.

Allow me, in particular, to welcome the fact that

the General Assembly at its sixty-first session focused

on development issues, together with the fight against

poverty, the adverse effects of climate change,

economic globalization, promoting dialogue and

understanding between civilizations and religions,

introducing modern good governance systems, and the

consolidation of democracy.

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals,

which is an urgent priority, requires that we all

intensify our efforts and promote cooperation and

coordination so as to establish conditions conducive to

sustainable, comprehensive and balanced development.

We believe that encouraging the spirit and values

of understanding, dialogue and complementarity

between civilizations and nations, upholding the rule of

law, and expanding justice and equity are the speediest

way to ensure peace and security in the world and

eradicate hatred and confrontation between peoples.

The continuation of seemingly intractable problems,

the widening of the gap between rich and poor, the

existence of structural dysfunctions in the global

economy, the absence of justice, and the prevalence of

injustice and despair are factors that perpetuate pockets

of tension and conflict and encourage extremism and

terrorism.

We in Mauritania have rejected terrorism in all its

forms and manifestations. We strongly condemn it and,

at the same time, we continue to adhere to Islamic

values in our society which are based on tolerance

and the rejection of violence and extremism and call

for understanding and brotherhood.

Under the Charter of the United Nations we are

committed to join efforts to maintain international

peace and security. That commitment continues to be

undermined by conflict situations, some of which have

persisted since the founding of the Organization. The

Arab-Israeli conflict is undeniably the one that

generates the most antagonism and most threatens

international peace and security. That conflict

continues despite the fact that the framework setting

out the general conditions for a just, comprehensive

and lasting settlement of the conflict has been defined

and reaffirmed over the years by the Security Council

and the General Assembly. Those basic requirements

constitute the very essence of the Arab Peace Initiative.

That Initiative guarantees peace, security and the

recognition of the State of Israel by Arab countries in

exchange for an end to the occupation of Arab

territories and an agreement to seek out mutually

acceptable solutions for other outstanding issues. Israel

must seize this historic opportunity and subsequently

comply with international law so that the peoples of the

region can at last live in peace and in particular so

that the Palestinian people can regain their usurped

rights and be able to establish an independent State,

with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

Mauritania is of course following closely the

issue of the Western Sahara. We are pleased with the

recent steps that have led to the resumption of direct

negotiations. We reiterate our support for the efforts of

the Secretary-General to find a definitive solution

acceptable to all parties that guarantees stability in the

region.

With regard to Darfur, we are pleased about the

agreement reached between the Government of the

Sudan, the African Union and the United Nations. We

hope that all parties will join efforts to ensure that

peace, understanding and accord prevail as soon as

possible among our Sudanese brothers and sisters.

As for the situation in Côte d’Ivoire, we were

pleased to note the remarkable progress made on the

path towards civic peace in the country. We hope that

overall stability will prevail in that brotherly country

and that it will once again assume its rightful place in

the West African subregion and in the continent as a

whole.

The African Union, working with the United

Nations, is making intensive efforts to resolve the

crises on the African continent. However, social and

economic progress undoubtedly offers the best solution

to those conflicts. Africa’s share of the world economy

has declined in the past two decades. The continent

now lags behind in achieving the Millennium

Development Goals. Yet, there are real signs of

improvement in the situation on the continent. New

economic opportunities now exist, thanks in large part

to the growing demand for emerging markets, but

Africa still needs further official development

assistance and greater flows of foreign direct

investment. I should like to point out that African

countries are of course primarily responsible for their

own development. They must also ensure the rule of

law, promote good governance and establish a

framework conducive to direct foreign investment.

This year, we in Mauritania improved the

democratic process by establishing a pluralistic system

based on a Constitution that guarantees the right of the

peaceful transfer of power. Our country has therefore

undergone a major democratic transformation. We have

done so through presidential elections conducted in an

atmosphere of transparency, honesty and open

competition as was noted by national and

international observers, including the United Nations,

the European Union, the League of Arab States, the

African Union, the International Organization of la

Francophonie and the Organization of the Islamic

Conference. In the same atmosphere of freedom and

pluralism, municipal and legislative elections made it

possible to choose the representatives of the people to

municipal councils and the two houses of Parliament.

We paid particular attention to Mauritania’s women in

both elections, with 20 per cent of contested seats

reserved for them. As a result, women are now more

represented than ever in the legislative and executive

branches, as well as in local administration, diplomacy

and management.

Moreover, my Government has made sustained

efforts to strengthen national unity and to ensure

transparency in the management of public affairs.

Among other things, those efforts have led to steps to

secure the dignified return of Mauritanian refugees

residing in Senegal and Mali, so as to usher in a new

era of brotherhood and national reconciliation in our

country.

In the same vein, we have enacted a law

criminalizing slavery. A high court of justice was also

established in order, if necessary, to prosecute the

president of the country and senior Government

officials through an integral procedure that aims at

institutionalizing the norms of good governance,

modernizing institutions and strengthening the

oversight mechanism through greater and direct

participation by the representatives of the people and

of civil society. We are more determined than ever to

persevere along this path because we believe it is the

best way to strengthen national unity and achieve

development, security, stability and prosperity for the

nation and for our citizens.

Mauritania is resolutely committed to

contributing to relations of cooperation and solidarity

in our region, in accordance with the ambitions and

aspirations of our people. In this framework, our faith

in the Arab Maghreb Union as a strategic choice for the

region and our faith in the Arab League and the African

Union are unwavering, given our firm commitment to

the spirit of fraternity and solidarity and to relations of

cooperation, friendship and good neighbourliness that

link our country to its Arab and African environment.

At the same time, our country remains determined to

strengthen the bases of dialogue, exchange and

understanding between peoples and civilizations,

namely within the framework of the

Euro-Mediterranean dialogue.

Mauritania reiterates its commitment to the ideals

and purposes of the United Nations, the only

multilateral framework at the service of humanity as a

whole. Faced with the multiple challenges and threats

in today’s world, it is our common duty to make the

United Nations a melting pot where we can harmonize

our efforts to implement the priorities stated in the

Millennium Declaration and at various international

conferences. In a globalized world marked by the

accumulation of wealth and an unprecedented

acceleration of technological and scientific progress, it

is up to us to benefit equitably from the possibilities

that are offered to all peoples and to establish the best

living conditions coupled with greater freedom. We

took this commitment when we created the United

Nations more than 60 years ago. Today we have the

means to assume our responsibilities and to uphold this

often reiterated commitment.