Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-09-04-Speech-4-192"
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"en.20080904.22.4-192"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, we can regard the coup d'état that has taken place in Mauritania as a real tragedy. Just as it has invested in many other countries, the European Union has invested enormously in the democratisation of Mauritania; more than this, and even more importantly I would say, the Mauritanian people have contributed significantly and those responsible for the relatively recent overthrow of the dictator Taya succeeded in arousing huge hopes among the population of that country, while at the same time honouring each of their commitments from the organisation of the constitutional referendum in June 2006 to the presidential elections in March 2007, including the holding of local and general elections in 2006. This long process gave everyone an opportunity to have their say: trade unions, civil society and, of course, politicians. After just one year this coup has shattered everything and there is huge disappointment among the ranks of the democrats.
This catastrophe for democracy and for the people of Mauritania clearly reminds us of the extreme fragility of all young democracies and also of the special attention that has to be paid to them. It is now vital for us to condemn the new Mauritanian regime without equivocation. If the elected President had committed mistakes or blunders it was up to the Mauritanian people, to its parliament and to the country’s elected representatives to react, to criticise and to impose sanctions. It was not in any way whatsoever the right of the army, the gendarmerie or any other police force to involve itself in what is exclusively a political matter.
We are therefore calling on the new ‘strong men’ of Mauritania to restore to the people of Mauritania the powers that they have stolen from them. We demand that they allow the elected President to resume his political functions as soon as possible, even if this means suffering all the criticisms, provided that these are expressed in a democratic manner and with respect for the aspirations of the Mauritanian people who have once more been taken hostage by the wishes of a minority.
Moreover, I would add, Mr President, that I had the honour of leading Parliament’s observation mission to Mauritania and I am naturally deeply affected by what has happened. I will finish there and allow Mrs Isler Béguin, who led the European Union’s election observation mission, to take the floor. We very much regret these events because what we witnessed in Mauritania was a real desire on the part of the entire population, a desire that has been expressed throughout the past year, and what has happened now is a tragedy."@en1
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