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.