Allow me first to warmly congratulate the
President on her election. We firmly believe that her
experience will guarantee an excellent grasp of all the
issues and that she will carry out her task with wisdom
and skill.
I take this opportunity to pay tribute to her
predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson, for his admirable and
tireless efforts in the reform process of the United
Nations and moving it forward.
I also thank and congratulate Mr. Kofi Annan, the
Secretary-General, and his team for their untiring
contribution to improving the work methods of the
Organization in order to achieve its objectives in all
areas.
I also take the opportunity to welcome the
Republic of Montenegro as a new Member of the
United Nations.
We particularly pay tribute to the important
resolutions dealing with the creation of the Human
Rights Council and the Peacebuilding Commission.
Without a doubt, those two new bodies will contribute
to improving the Organization’s activities to find
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solutions to two of the main concerns of the peoples
and Member Governments of the United Nations,
namely, conflicts and wars, and the impact that they
have on the rights and dignity of individuals and
communities. We are all aware of the direct impact of
those issues on peace, security, development, justice
and democracy throughout the world.
We wish to stress the resolutions and the
important work of the United Nations between the two
sessions, namely conferences and summits dealing with
the information society and the HIV/AIDS pandemic,
as well as meetings on development, alleviating
poverty, protecting the environment, promoting the
advancement of women, and dealing with
unemployment and the issues of migration.
How we meet the need for development, security
and peace throughout the world will depend on how we
deal with the issues of violence and terrorism. Since
the phenomenon of terrorism is universal in nature, the
solution to it must also be found through a global
vision that is anchored in understanding and dialogue
between civilizations and nations, a vision that rejects
confrontation and conflict and seeks to overcome
poverty, illiteracy and social, scientific and technical
underdevelopment.
In Mauritania we reject terrorism in all its forms
and manifestations. We remain faithful to our Islamic
values of solidarity, understanding and tolerance,
which reject violence and extremism.
My country, Mauritania, reiterates its support for
peace and for relaunching the negotiation process on
all tracks. That is the only way to put an end to the
conflict in the Middle East, on the basis of
international resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and
the Road Map, which will guarantee the Israeli
withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories in
Palestine, Syria and Lebanon and allow the Palestinian
people to restore its legitimate rights and establish an
independent State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
With regard to Western Sahara, Mauritania
supports the measures taken by the United Nations and
its Secretary-General to find a lasting solution that
guarantees stability in that region and enjoys the
support of all stakeholders.
Concerning Iraq, we are following very closely
the changing political, security and humanitarian
situation in that fraternal country. We note with
satisfaction the success achieved by the Iraqi
Government in rebuilding State institutions. We
reaffirm our support for the unity of Iraq, its territorial
integrity and independence and for non-interference in
its internal affairs.
After the changes of 3 August 2005, the Islamic
Republic of Mauritania ushered in a new era in its
political history. The new era started with the creation
of a pluralist, democratic system based on the
guarantee of equality and justice for all. It enshrines
the peaceful assumption of authority and transparency
in management and administrative reform, while firmly
establishing the mechanisms of good governance.
These choices have been implemented on the
basis of a sound experiment carried out throughout the
country using all the active forces of our people,
including civil institutions, political parties, trade
unions and the transition Government, through a
programme of action for justice and democracy that
has been implemented with the informed and effective
participation of all stakeholders. It includes
constitutional reform, reform of the administration of
justice, administrative reform to combat corruption,
and reform of the electoral system by creating an
independent national electoral commission on the basis
of transparency and by encouraging the participation of
women.
In order to ensure total neutrality in the elections,
the Military Council for Justice and Democracy has
decreed that the President, members of the Military
Council, the Prime Minister and members of the
civilian transition Government are ineligible to take
part in future municipal, legislative and presidential
elections.
The absence of real democracy, free choice and
fair elections led the Military Council for Justice and
Democracy to intervene to end the political stalemate
that the country was experiencing before 3 August
2005.
Here, on behalf of the Mauritanian people, I
would like to thank sincerely all fraternal and friendly
countries and international organizations and bodies
that have supported our reform process and helped and
supported us through its various stages.
Mauritania is keen to contribute to strengthening
the links of fraternity, cooperation and solidarity in its
region, in line with the common aspirations of our
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peoples. Within this framework, we affirm our
unswerving faith in building an Arab Maghreb as a
strategic, non-negotiable choice.
We are also profoundly attached to the spirit of
fraternity and solidarity on our African continent and to
the close relations that link our country to all fraternal
African countries. Our country will continue to be
faithful to strengthening the basis for dialogue,
exchange and understanding between peoples and
civilizations, particularly within the 5+5 forum and the
Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean process.
The major changes that have taken place on the
international scene in recent years require a review and
reform of the organs and method of work of the United
Nations — in particular, by revitalizing the role of the
General Assembly and ensuring respect for its
resolutions, by reactivating the Economic and Social
Council and by making the Security Council more
representative. All this should aim to take account not
only of important regions in the world, such as Africa
and Latin America, or important regional groups, but
also of industrialized countries that make major
contributions to the United Nations, such as Germany
and Japan.
We also believe that the Security Council today
must improve its methods of work so that it can fulfill
its task of maintaining international peace and security.
In closing, I would like to express the wish that
the work of this session will be crowned with success.