Mauritania, 2012

I am pleased and honoured at the outset to express our

heartfelt congratulations on the election of Mr. Vuk

Jeremić as President of the General Assembly at its

sixty-seventh session. We have every confidence in his

efforts and in everything that he will undertake in order

to maintain the gains made in preserving international

peace and security and to promote an international

order that will ensure peace, prosperity and progress

for all humankind. I am firmly convinced that the

proficiency, political skills and spirit of responsibility

that he demonstrated when he twice served as Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia will give

him the ability to do so.

I would also like to underscore the continual

efforts of Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, President

of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, and

his determination to promote dialogue as an effective

tool for cooperation and to formulate the best possible

solutions to international issues.

We would like, too, to congratulate and thank

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his steadfast

activities to preserve international peace and security

and to promote the Millennium Development Goals, as

well as to mobilize the international community to deal

with climate change, which now has a negative impact

on the future of humankind.

The sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly

is taking place at a time when many regions of the

world are facing particularly difficult political and

economic conditions. Aware of the importance of the

role and responsibility of our citizens in steering the

destiny of the country, we in the Islamic Republic of

Mauritania have been able to carry out a peaceful,

smooth transition from a repressive totalitarian regime

and the mismanagement of public wealth to democratic

rule based on credible constitutional institutions,

thereby restoring the rule of law.

We are also pleased to see that the peaceful

settlement of national and international disputes is the

theme selected for this session of the General Assembly,

and we appreciate the results of the high-level dialogue

on that important subject.

From that standpoint, my country has enacted a

series of laws and reforms enshrining individual and

collective political freedoms, guaranteeing the people

as a whole the full exercise of those basic rights, subject

to the rule of law, and ensuring the independence of

the judiciary. In that context, the Islamic Republic

of Mauritania has sought to fulfil all the obligations

and commitments it undertook under the tripartite

agreement with the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees, on the one hand, and the

Government of the host State, the sister Republic of

Senegal, on the other. The agreement concerned the

organized return of Mauritanians who had been living

in Senegal since the end of the 1980s. The operation

was completed in perfect accord with all the parties

involved and consisted of the organized return of 106 contingents, totalling 24,536 refugees, between

29 January 2008 and 25 March 2012.

Mr. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of the

Islamic Republic of Mauritania, personally presided

over an official ceremony on 25 March in the city

of Rosso, which is the capital of the state of Traza.

That was an opportunity for the High Commissioner

for Refugees, Mr. Antonio Guterres, to solemnly

proclaim that the issue of the Mauritanian refugees

in Senegal was finally closed. Along the same lines,

the Government undertook to resolve the issue of the

so-called humanitarian debt by paying those victims

who were entitled to compensation and by settling the

situation of members of the armed and security forces,

Government workers and contract civil servants, whose

rights were also restored.

There has been a genuine and transparent political

dialogue between the parties of the President’s majority

and certain democratic opposition parties, which led to

an agreement late last year. The agreement included the

creation of a national independent electoral commission

that is completely autonomous and that will fully

oversee the upcoming elections, beginning with the

legislative and municipal elections. In addition, there

have been many important constitutional reforms, as

called for by the democratic opposition.

Mauritania has worked to strengthen good

governance by ensuring transparency in the

management of public funds and by enhancing the

independent judicial system, particularly by improving

the conditions of judges and guaranteeing their

independence. The economy has seen sustained growth,

including the implementation of ambitious programmes

aimed at improving the living conditions of the people,

especially those with low incomes.

Since the accession to the presidency of Mr. Ould

Abdel Aziz, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania has been

reactivating its presence in regional and international

organizations, first and foremost in the United Nations

and its specialized agencies. We adhere fully to its

noble ideals, and we comply with the resolutions, as a

strategic choice for our foreign policy. In this regard, we

reaffirm our support for reform of the United Nations

system, particularly the Security Council.

We reiterate our desire to see the African continent

receive a permanent seat on the Council, since it

is the only continent that does not have permanent

representation in the body that addresses international peace and security. That is true despite the fact that one

billion people inhabit the continent of Africa and two

thirds of peacekeeping operations take place there. In

addition, we call for a permanent seat on the Council

for the Arab Group because of its demographic weight

vis-à-vis the global population and its considerable

economic potential, in particular in the area of energy.

My country provides effective support to

intergovernmental efforts that have been taking place

for a number of years to find a solution that enjoys

the consensus of Member States on the reform of

the United Nations in general, the working methods

and mechanisms of its decision-making bodies, and

above all, membership in the Security Council and

the issue of defining its authority and codifying its

working relationship with the General Assembly in

order to ensure the effectiveness of our Organization

in faithfully reflecting the will of the international

community.

We note with great satisfaction the tireless efforts

to achieve consensus during the sixty-seventh session,

including with regard to the conclusions of the United

Nations Conference on Sustainable Development,

which will undoubtedly contribute — if they are

implemented, obviously — to limiting the major risks

facing our planet, in particular the phenomena of global

warming and climate change, which are now the clear

concern and danger facing humankind.

We welcome the outcomes of the Second Conference

to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of

the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent,

Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms

and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, which led to a

consensus agreement on a programme of action to

prevent the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

Despite the efforts made and results achieved

during the Assembly’s sixty-sixth and earlier sessions,

including the Millennium Summit, despite the

establishment of goals and the adoption of an agenda to

achieve them, most developing countries, particularly

the least developed, are falling short of achieving their

objectives. This is due to a range of factors, including,

for example, endemic unemployment, particularly

among young people; the prevalence of extreme poverty

among the most vulnerable segments of society; and the

slowing of growth and stagnation of the global economy.

Foreign direct investment is declining in Africa. The

prices of basic goods on international markets are rising, which has a direct impact on purchasing power in many

poor countries, where a large part of the population lives

on less than $1 per day. Rates of net financial transfers

to developing countries are falling, and revenue from

tourism is falling acutely. Infant mortality is rising.

The heavy debt burden seriously slows the economies

of developing countries, especially least developed, and

directly affects the already modest financial resources

of the countries, thereby hampering their ability to

meet their basic needs in terms of infrastructure and

public services.

Against this worrying backdrop, we call on rich

countries and donors to honour their commitment to

contribute to the economies of developing countries,

giving priority to least developed, so that they can have

acceptable access to public services, thus ensuring

peaceful civil order, security, stability and social

cohesion in those countries, and thereby safeguard

peace around the world.

At the initiative, and with the support, of President

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, our Government has

endeavoured to provide citizens decent living

conditions and to help them in times of crises. In this

connection, an emergency intervention plan, known as

the 2012 Hope Plan, supported by some $170 million

of State budgetary resources, was launched to deal

with declining agricultural production and pastures

declining owing to a lack of rain last year, as our

country is greatly dependent on farming and livestock-

raising. This ambitious plan is providing food and

drinking water for both people and livestock, and at

affordable prices with a view to mitigate the impact of

the crisis, in particular for the poorest segments of the

population. This plan has been unanimously received

as a clear success on all levels. It has allowed us to avert

famine, epidemics and serious malnutrition in children,

pregnant women and nursing mothers. Even livestock

epidemics have been averted, with losses being kept

within reasonable limits.

Our Government is also working tirelessly to

broaden access to education and to improve both the

quality and quantity of teaching and to broaden health

coverage throughout the nation. We have built a modern

cancer hospital, which is among the best equipped in

the region, and a cardiology hospital and a diabetes

centre, not to mention the establishment of 50 dialysis

centres. All of this was achieved in a record time of

just over three years since the accession to power of President Ould Abdel Aziz following the elections of

18 July 2009.

Our subregion, the Sahel, has been for some years

a haven for organized crime networks of many types,

from smuggling drugs, weapons and munitions to

human trafficking, illegal immigration, hostage-taking

and especially terrorism. Together they have led to the

extremely serious situation currently unfolding in our

friendly neighbour, Mali, whose northern regions in

particular represent a serious threat to the security of

the entire subregion.

Given those conditions, we are following

developments in Mali with great concern. Reaffirming

our deep commitment to the unity and territorial

integrity of Mali, we hope that the international

community, through the Security Council, will fully

shoulder its responsibilities and take the necessary

decisions, in consultation with the Government of Mali

and neighbouring countries, with a view to achieving

a swift solution that would ensure the re-establishment

of State authority throughout the territory, a return

to peaceful civil order for all of Mali’s people and

the complete and lasting eradication of terrorism and

organized crime in northern Mali and the Sahel as a

whole.

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania has steadfastly

taken principled positions with regard to that tragic

crisis. We swiftly condemned the military coup d’état

that ousted the elected President and interrupted

the electoral process. We have strenuously rejected

separatist claims and unequivocally condemned the

occupation of northern Mali by armed terrorist groups.

We have continuously reaffirmed our commitment to

the unity, territorial integrity and social cohesion of

sisterly Mali.

My country swiftly and early took all appropriate

measures to accept refugees from Mali. Today there

are more than 110,000 in a camp that has become

the second largest city in Mauritania in terms of

population, after the capital Nouakchott. Despite the

severe constraints linked to drought and the scarcity of

financial resources, Mauritania is providing shelter to

those refugees in satisfactory conditions that meet with

the approval of international humanitarian agencies,

including the United Nations High Commissioner

for Refugees, with whom we work very closely and

maintain constant contact. My country is perfectly aware of the close

relationship between security, development and

democracy and of the fact that security is a necessary

condition for development, for the establishment of

democracy and for strengthening the institutions of

the rule of law. We have therefore made the adoption

of the necessary array of legislation a top priority and

has committed to adopting measures to guarantee

the security and safety of our citizens and of foreign

nationals residing in our country among our hospitable,

warm people. Our armed and security forces have

resolutely and courageously faced criminal terrorist

armed groups that have threatened our security and that

of our guests. We have therefore been able to secure our

borders and restore our sovereignty in each area of our

country, and we now control all access points, despite

the great length of our borders.

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is most

seriously following the dramatic developments of the

situation in the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic. We call

on all parties involved to put an end to the escalating

violence and to focus on dialogue in order to find

a peaceful solution to the crisis so that the brotherly

Syrian people can avoid further horror, desolation and

destruction, as well as to ensure the unity and territorial

integrity of Syria and the cohesion of its social fabric.

We have every hope that the mission of the Special Joint

Representative of the United Nations and the League of

Arab States, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, whom my country

fully supports, will be able to open the path to a positive

solution to that crisis, which poses a serious threat to

the peace and security of the entire Middle East and

the entire world, with extremely negative effects on the

Syrian economy.

We enthusiastically welcome the democratic

changes that took place in Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt

and Libya. We are convinced they will contribute to

consolidating civil peace and security and will bring

about a shining future for those fraternal countries and

peoples.

We have the firm hope that the agreements recently

reached between the Sudan and the Republic of South

Sudan will lead to the peaceful settlement of all

pending issues between those two States. My country

is also wholly satisfied with the recent legislative and

presidential elections in Somalia. We hope they will

strengthen peace and security in that brotherly country,

which has been devastated for two decades by the

collapse of central power and by a number of other difficulties, including the destruction of infrastructure

and the displacement of its people, armed conflicts

between warlords, and the activities of armed terrorist

groups that have sown terror among innocent civilians.

My country is closely following the issue of

Western Sahara. We reiterate our full support for the

efforts of the Secretary-General and of his Special

Envoy aimed at bringing about a lasting, comprehensive

and fair solution that would have the consent of both

parties and would serve to uphold peace and security

in the region and thereby promote the establishment

of a progressive, prosperous Arab Maghreb, which our

people legitimately hope for.

The Israeli-Arab conflict is a permanent source

of hatred and hostility and a serious threat to peace

and security in a vital region of the world. The legal

framework and the general conditions to address that

situation have been defined and reiterated for a long

time now, in a spate of resolutions in the Security

Council and the General Assembly. That has all been

formally confirmed via the Arab Peace Initiative,

which is based on the principle of land for peace

and which aims at resolving the ongoing conflict,

Therefore we urge the international community to

grant the request that Mahmoud Abbas, President of

the Palestinian Authority, made in the last Assembly

session, seeking the recognition of the Palestinian State

by the international community, within the borders of

4 June 1967.

That is the only way to end the suffering of the

Palestinian people, which has gone on for almost as

long as this Organization has existed. It is also the way

for the international community to shoulder its historic

responsibility with respect to Palestine and the desire

to achieve justice and to ensure credibility and equity

between the two parties to the conflict, in compliance

with the relevant resolutions of international legality.

We also reiterate our condemnation of the standing

embargo of the Gaza Strip and the crimes perpetrated

by the Israeli war machine against Palestinian civilians,

along with the massive destruction of their properties

and infrastructure.

It is no longer acceptable that all those paths

continue to be firmly closed off to an unarmed

Palestinian people, who have been assigned to fictitious

negotiations that are themselves an insurmountable

obstacle to their achieving their most basic right, which

is the establishment of their national independent State on the borders of 4 June 1967, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif

as its capital.

Promoting a culture of peace and the values

and spirit of tolerance among different peoples and

civilizations and establishing equity and justice among

and between peoples at a global level are the right ways

to safeguard peace and security in our world. There are

outstanding issues without any prospects for solution.

There is a huge gap between rich and poor. There are

imbalances in the global economic infrastructure and

an absence of genuine justice, equity, and equality. All

of those issues have contributed to the escalation of

areas of tension and the expansion of the phenomenon

of terrorism.

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania rejects

terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We are

committed to our Islamic values, which require that we

respect tolerance and fraternity and reject any form of

extremism and violence. The international community

urgently needs to study the reasons for extremism and

the best ways to uproot and eradicate that problem.

The noble ideals by which the international

community was guided during the creation of this

Organization will be respected only if the States and

peoples of the world can benefit from the potential

of development to provide the conditions for a decent

life for all human beings, especially in developing

countries, while respecting the values of freedom and

equity. That is how we will be able to achieve the values

that are at the very basis of the United Nations.