We have a distinctive partnership with Tehran and we hope to develop it: Ruling Party leader in Mauritania

By: Ahmad Ould Bab

In an interview with Islam Times correspondent in Mauritania, Mohamed Al-Amine Ould Al-Hassan, said, “As two Islamic countries, we deal with both of Iran and Turkey, and we share with them many ties and common interests. We hope that these interests would be steadily developed and strengthened. We will step forward regardless of what some people from the inside or overseas might sometimes say, particularly the Zionist entity, which expressed its dissatisfaction. Yet, this dissatisfaction makes us be proud of such a step more than ever”.
Mohamed Ould Al-Hassan reduced the importance of the chaos raised by the Parties of the Mauritanian opposition, saying that the country is undergoing an internal reform workshop, and that the government will seek to put an end to the widespread corruption earlier in the official administrations. This comes regardless of the chaos raised in the intervening time by some parties who were taking advantage of the chaos and lawlessness.

The following is the text of the interview:

Islam Times correspondent in Mauritania:
First of all what are the current objectives of the campaign? Are there effective guarantees in order not to return to the past (the State’s party) i.e. being controlled by a group of men and by money in the party?

Dr. Mohamed Al-Amine Ould Al-Hassan:
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. At the beginning, I would like to thank “Islam Times’ website” for giving me this opportunity to talk about the political situation in Mauritania.

As for your question, “The objective of the campaign right now is to contact the masses, to explain the vision of the political party, and to be in contact in order to look over the joint problems and concerns within a policy adopted by the Ruling Party “Union for the Republic (UPR)”. In fact, this policy has been adopted a few months ago during the Party’s Constitutional Conference, and its transit committees seek to apply it.
Moreover, one of the campaign’s current objectives, as declared by the Party’s specialized sources, is to open a door, throughout the month of April 2010, in front of the grassroots for membership on a voluntary basis, in order to start the actual steps to select the leaders of the largest political party in Mauritania. In addition, we aim at working on creating a climate for the next conference, which will be a result of the ongoing process in terms of selecting the leaders and choosing representatives of the population. This comes in order to signify the government's policy and to ensure the implementation of the Program of the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, based upon which he has won the election on 18 July 2009.

As for the guarantees, I believe that the best guarantees that we could give to the audience of the party and to the political elite as well are those pledges issued by the President during the Party’s first conference. The Political Bureau of the Party, during its first meeting held after the conference, adopted those pledges as a fundamental document.
I think that the consultations between the party’s chairman, Mr. Mohamed Al- Amine Ould Al-Hassan, all parties of the Union for the Republic, and between the political active supporters of the President of the Republic, contribute to and prevent the recurrence of the past routs. In addition, the time period, which lasted several months, taken to ensure tightening the membership process, addressing any imbalances that might impede the process, and selecting competent staff to lead the process, all this might also prevent and ensure reliable representation of the grass roots more than ever. This could be done through controlling the lists by adopting a registry-calculating program and not repeating it.
There is also a strict control over the process throughout the national territory. In practice, the Party has taken the necessary assurances in order to stop any voter’s vote manipulation, and to put a stop to the influence of political money or traditional leaders on the process. This comes so that to ensure equality and to move forward towards renovating the political class in Mauritania.

Islam Times correspondent in Mauritania:
How long will the campaign continue? Did you identify the date of the next conference?

Dr. Mohamed Al-Amine Ould Al-Hassan:
In principle, the campaign will continue for a month, during which the first week will be dedicated to raise the awareness about the process. Moreover, the other three weeks will be dedicated to membership. I think it is an enough period, especially that it was launched simultaneously and across the national territory, and the full requirements for this have been provided.

Islam Times correspondent in Mauritania:
Given that, the campaign comes in light of a strong information exchange between the majority and the opposition. Thus, have you encountered difficulty in convincing the population to join the party?

Dr. Mohamed Al-Amine Ould Al-Hassan:
In general, it is, as you called it, an information exchange not more than that. The populations know who is working in favor of the public interest, and who is not. They have elected His Excellency President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz during the last presidential elections in the country. The percentage of votes given to him was more than expected, and from the first round.

Regarding the difficulties in convincing the population, I think it is too early to talk about such a thing that is unexpected as well, especially that we are now working on the registration process and the final figures will determine the extent of the response of the population to the party’s speech and its political program. Yet, all indications are promising, and we hope that they will be strengthened by a membership that guarantees protecting the current achievements and brings to the forefront qualified political representatives for the people, in order to actually start the construction.

Islam Times correspondent in Mauritania:
“You have failed at the popular level because of the collapse of the situations in the country”, said by the opposition. Therefore, are you going to review the situations internally? What did your president do for an exhausted country so far?

Dr. Mohamed Al-Amine Ould Al-Hassan:
This is also an opposition speaking, as you have mentioned, and not more than that. We did not fail, and failure is out of question. In the viewpoint of the party, and the vision of its members, the opposition have the right to talk about what it considers a failure in light of the political pluralism that guarantee its freedom of expression and even freedom of curses and insults. This comes as long as the media is open and the protest movement is permitted, because the grass roots can differentiate between the honest and the banterer, and between the mentor and other type of people.

As for the reviews, we do not believe that there are errors to be undone. Regarding the evaluation and the follow-up, they are the habits of the party and the competent authorities are closely monitoring the work of the current government. They are also supporting what is considered wise, and alerting of any disturbance in time. In addition, they protect any reform movement, because all of us (the party and the government) are moving in the same way to ensure rightly implementing the commitments of the President during the election campaign for the population. In fact, the signs of that campaign are now becoming clearer to all observers by lifting the injustice suffered by large segments, stopping the influence of some on wrong money, restoring the prestige of the state, and launching promising economic projects in the cities and rural areas. Moreover, on the level of Nouakchott, roads have been cleaved, focusing on developmental programs in Aftout formerly known as the triangle of poverty.

Islam Times correspondent in Mauritania:
Some have criticized the orientation of Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz towards Turkey and Iran. Why did you change the country's regional alliances? Are you ready to sacrifice your traditional allies who are said to be angry about the increasing influence of Tehran?

Dr. Mohamed Al-Amine Ould Al-Hassan:
In general, Mauritania is an independent state having an independent sovereign. The president is the highest pyramid in the authority and he is only one in charge of estimating the matters that serve the interest of the country as the guarantor of Constitution. He is also responsible for the major trends and his choices are not individual jurisprudence or unplanned behavior, they are a clear policy that is based upon the principle of autonomy in decision with a clear bias to the identity of the people and its values, and valuing as well its historical relationships. Based upon the aforementioned, opening a partnership with both Tehran and Turkey takes place especially that they are two Islamic countries. We share with them many ties and common interests. We hope that these interests would be steadily developed and strengthened. We will step forward regardless of what some people from the inside or overseas might sometimes say, particularly the Zionist entity, which expressed its dissatisfaction. Yet, this dissatisfaction makes us be proud of such a step more than ever. “If you hear a bad word about me coming from an imperfect person, it is a testimony for me that I am perfect”!

As for the anger of our traditional allies, as you called them, I believe it is a cheap propaganda practiced unfortunately by some political oppositional sides in order to disrupt the citizen. Here, I would like to assure you that Mauritania has strong relations with the overall Arab and Islamic parties. Moreover, its relations with the western world have been strengthened and have increased since the election of President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, but with respect and adversary required for the diplomatic work, and away from the logic of dictations and dependence. In theory, it is unaccepted to strain our relations with any party other than the Jewish state, with which we declared shamelessly breaking off the relations, because of its practices of terrorism and murder against our Palestinians brethrens.

Islam Times correspondent in Mauritania:
Do these relationships have commercial or political benefits, which are what make you adhere to them and push forward towards promoting them?

Dr. Mohamed Al-Amine Ould Al-Hassan:
The relationship between brethrens is required always regardless of its commercial or political benefits. Additionally, adhering to it is a duty and abandoning it is wrong and ridiculous. Yet, we believe that the rapprochement between the Islamic countries would strengthen the historic ties and push for strengthening the status of the nation as well. This also have commercial and economic benefits, we do not disguise them, but we aim to take advantage of them as much as possible and we are working on strengthening them, since they are the simplest elements of convergence and brotherhood.
Islam Times correspondent in Mauritania:
You have made the United States of America become angry because of cutting off your relations with “Israel”, are you aware of the seriousness of this decision? Do you think that you are able to bear its consequences?
Dr. Mohammad Al-Amine Ould Al-Hassan:
We did not make any party angry by cutting off those already condemned and weird relations. We did not seek as well to do this, but we have practiced our natural right. We have the right to choose with whom to be ally, with whom to be friend, and with whom to keep promise. I think these are the simplest elements of sovereignty. As for our relation with the United States of America, it is still active and stable, but with ensuring that we act as a free state that has its own political choices, its own national causes, its strategic interests, and its historical alliances. Thus, we are able, with God Almighty’s help, and with the determination of our leadership, to keep those alliances, to conclude such treaties, and to implement the decisions that we make with awareness and without coercion.

Translation By Mayssa Hazimeh