African Union (Addis Ababa)
5 September 2008
press release
Addis Ababa — At the initiative of the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Mr. Jean Ping, a consultative and coordination meeting on the situation in Mauritania was held in Addis Ababa, at the Headquarters of the Commission, on 4 September 2008. In addition to the AU, the meeting was also attended by the United Nations and the League of Arab States, whose respective delegations were led by Ramtane Lamamra, Commissioner for Peace and Security, Said Djinnit, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa, and Ahmed Benhelli, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs of the Arab League.
The participants exchanged information and analyses on the evolution of the situation in Mauritania since the coup d’Etat of 6 August 2008, as well as on the efforts being deployed to restore constitutional order.
The participants recalled the condemnation, by the international community, of the coup d’Etat that took place in Mauritania and the measures taken by its perpetrators in order to consolidate the situation resulting from the coup d’Etat. They underlined that the international community demand the return to constitutional order, represented by the institutions that were democratically elected during the legislative and presidential elections of November 2006 and March 2007, respectively.
The participants reiterated the determination of their respective organizations to spare no effort to find a speedy solution to the crisis, which will require necessarily the release of the democratically elected President, Mr. Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, and his Prime Minister, Mr. Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghf, as well as the restoration of the democratic institutions. In this regard, they referred to the commitment made by the authorities in place to release President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.
The participants acknowledged the convergence of the perspectives and approaches taken by their respective organizations, and emphasized the importance that they attach to the efforts being deployed by the AU, in collaboration with the United
Nations and the League of Arab States, towards finding a solution to the crisis, in keeping with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. In that vein, they expressed the hope that the planned visit to Mauritania of the Chairperson of the Commission, Jean Ping, will help in promoting as soon as possible such a solution. In the meantime, the participants urged all actors in Mauritania to refrain from any action likely to complicate further the situation and jeopardize the search for a solution
The participants agreed to continue to closely work together, in a spirit of complementarity, with the view to contributing to the restoration of constitutional order and the preservation of peace and stability in Mauritania.
At the end of the meeting, the participants met with representatives of the European Union and other members of the international community to exchange views on the situation, as well as on ways and means of speedily restoring legality. The partners reaffirmed their support to the AU and their determination to spare no effort for the restoration of constitutional order and legality in Mauritania.
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