[M-net] INTERVIEW-Mauritania junta chief hails new democratic era

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INTERVIEW-Mauritania junta chief hails new democratic era
REUTERS
21 Nov 2006 18:53:59 GMT

By Daniel Flynn

NOUAKCHOTT, Nov 21 (Reuters) - The head of Mauritania's military junta on
Tuesday hailed parliamentary elections at the weekend as the start of a new
democratic era in the Saharan state, turning the page on decades of
dictatorship.

Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, whose August 2005 uprising ended 21 years of
authoritarian one-party rule in Africa's newest oil producer, said he would
stick to a promise to hand over power after a presidential election
scheduled for March.

Sunday's parliamentary and municipal polls in the poor Islamic Republic,
which straddles black and Arab Africa, were the first step in planned
transition to democracy.

Power has never changed hands through the ballot box in the former French
colony.

"This is a new political era and a fundamental change for our country," Vall
told Reuters in an interview. "It is the first time Mauritanians have been
able to express themselves freely ... It is a complete break with our
political history."

"The fact that more than 70 percent of citizens voted shows their commitment
to change for the country and their hope for democracy," said Vall, seated
in a marble room in the Chinese-built presidential palace.

Sunday's polls were marked by long lines outside voting stations on the
dusty streets of Nouakchott, as people waited patiently for hours under a
blazing sun to vote.

International observers gave the elections a clean bill of health on Monday,
citing a strong turnout and welcoming the impartiality of the military
junta. With counting progressing slowly, results were expected late on
Tuesday or even Wednesday.

Constitutional reforms limiting presidential powers, approved in a
referendum in June, should ensure no return to authoritarian rule, he said.

"Changing the constitution would be extremely difficult, and without
changing it, it is very hard to return to the old regime," said the
softly-spoken ex-intelligence chief.

NO TERRORIST THREAT

One of the few Arab states to have diplomatic ties with Israel, Mauritania
is also a close ally in the U.S.-led fight against terrorism in the Sahara.

Vall, however, played down the threat in Mauritania itself and said the al
Qaeda-linked Algerian movement, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat
(GSPC), was not present here.

"The risk in Mauritania is certainly the lowest in the region," he said.
"But you can never say there is no risk from terrorism ... We are
shouldering our responsibilities in the fight with all the countries of the
region and the world."

On the edge of the Sahara desert opposite the Spanish Canary Islands,
Mauritania has also become a major transit route for migrants hoping to
reach Europe.

More than 11,000 failed migrants had been handled by Mauritanian authorities
this year, at great cost, Vall said.

"I am not asking for aid. What I want to see is better cooperation between
countries of destination, origin and transit. You cannot resolve this
problem just with aid."

The start of oil production in February this year at an offshore field
operated by Australia's Woodside Petroleum, have helped improved economic
prospects, Vall said.

"This year or next, Mauritania will be classed as a developing country
rather than one of the world's poorest, and if things continue like this we
should overcome this problem (of poverty)," he said.


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