Mauritania, 2010

At the outset, allow me to

congratulate, on behalf of Mr. Mohamed Ould Abdel

Aziz, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania,

and on my own behalf, His Excellency Mr. Joseph

Deiss on his election as President of the General

Assembly at its sixty-fifth session and to wish him

every success in his new duties. I have great

confidence that his diligent efforts will have a positive

impact on our Organization, as did those of his

predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki,

whose praiseworthy labours strengthened the ties of

cooperation, the bonds of brotherhood, and the

universal principles of peace and dialogue within the

General Assembly.

It also gives me great pleasure to express my

thanks and appreciation to His Excellency Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon for his serious efforts to achieve

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the objectives of the Organization and to strengthen the

pillars of peace, security and prosperity in the world.

Mauritania fulfilled its constitutional obligation

by selecting Mr. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz as

President of the Republic through elections in which

the Mauritanian people expressed their will freely,

impartially and maturely. Today, for the first time in its

history, my country has taken a comprehensive

qualitative leap forward into a new era — which we

call “the era of serious work” — to improve the living

conditions of Mauritanian citizens, consolidate

democracy and build a State that is on good terms with

its citizens and its neighbours on the basis of justice,

equality and the values of the Republic.

In this new era, there are no political prisoners in

Mauritania and the pluralistic Parliament plays its full

role in legislating and in supervising the Government.

The press exercises its freedom without censorship or

constraint, as do political parties, unions and civil

society institutions.

Inspired by the electoral platform of President

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, the Government of

Mauritania has devoted itself to implementing an

ambitious development policy with clearly visible

goals, including the elimination of corruption and its

consequences; the promotion and use of the country’s

resources in a rational, responsible and transparent

manner; ensuring respect for the rule of law and the

country’s prestige; providing security throughout

society; offering basic services, and constructing

essential infrastructure needed for the country’s

development.

This policy has earned the confidence and

support of Mauritania’s brothers, friends and

development partners, who, at their round table

meeting in Brussels in June, blessed our ambitious

development programme and pledged financial support

totalling $3.2 billion over three years. In this regard,

we thank them sincerely for having made every effort

to ensure the success of the round table and for all their

support for our development programmes.

In the course of implementing these programmes,

Mauritania became a hub of activity as roads and

health and education facilities were built and integrated

projects established for the purpose of empowering

women and youth in order to contribute to the socio-

economic development of the country and to improve

conditions for the poor and the marginalized, who

rejoiced at the election of our President and have

granted him the nickname “President of the poor” for

his great devotion to and care for the people.

Mauritania, like other countries, is confronted

with terrorism and transnational organized crime.

Terrorism is a global phenomenon that is not tied to a

particular country, continent, religion or society. Any

attempt to conflate Islam with this phenomenon is

rejected, unacceptable and illogical. Those most

affected by terrorism are, after all, the Muslims and the

Islamic world.

We believe that the fight against terrorism

requires progress in social justice, the training of

young people and their integration into an active life.

This will give them hope so that they do not become

easy recruiting targets for terrorists and extremist

organizations.

My country is making diligent efforts on all these

fronts and promoting the role of our prominent

scholars to debate in the best possible manner and to

provide the correct image of Islam, which is a religion

of tolerance, virtue and acceptance of others and one

that rejects excess and extremism. Moreover,

Mauritania, far from being at war with anyone, as His

Excellency the President of the Republic has

repeatedly said, will spare no effort to maintain peace

and security for its citizens and ensure the necessary

conditions for the development of the country in

security and stability.

The establishment of a united Arab Maghreb is a

strategic option for the peoples of the region, and

failure to maintain such unity will reflect negatively on

the future of that vital region of the world. There is no

doubt that finding a timely solution to the issue of

Western Sahara and obtaining the consent of the parties

concerned would contribute to accelerating the pace of

integration of the united Maghreb and enable it to play

its full role as an indispensable and effective regional

partner.

On the other hand, conscious of the importance of

the United Nations as an irreplaceable forum for the

voices of Member States and other members of the

international community, big and small, powerful and

weak, as well as for resolving difficult international

issues and coordinating and supporting development

efforts, Mauritania supports efforts to reform the

Organization and its organs, especially the Security

Council.

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We call for the expansion of the Council to

include permanent representation for the African

continent and the Arab Group, because democracy is an

international requirement and not only a national

practice or objective. Given their cultural, human and

strategic significance, it is neither logical nor

acceptable not to grant permanent seats on the Security

Council to the African continent and the Arab world.

The Arab-Israeli conflict remains a source of

tension and a threat to international peace and security

in an extremely sensitive and vital area of the world.

That region will know no stability until a definitive

solution to the conflict is found. Such a solution must

be just and permanent and in accordance with

resolutions of international legitimacy. It must allow

the brotherly Palestinian people to exercise their full

right to establish their independent and viable State in

Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital. It must

also ensure the restoration of all occupied Arab

territories, including the Syrian Golan Heights and the

Lebanese Shab’a farms.

Mauritania hopes that the direct negotiations

between the Palestinians and the Israelis, sponsored by

the United States, will conclude in tangible results and

an acceptable time frame. There is no people in the

Middle East that needs peace more than the Palestinian

people. My country has called for the lifting of the

unjust siege on Gaza and for an end to its collective

and inhumane punishment. Restoring rights and justice

to their owners and between nations and cultures is the

best means to achieve peace and security in the world.

Before concluding, allow me to reiterate what I

stated a few days ago — the development challenges

before us all will be exacerbated unless we all assume

our responsibilities and fulfil our commitments.

Developing countries require the urgent attention of the

international community if they are to achieve the

stability, development and progress that will enable

them to integrate into the global economic system.