S van der Merwe: Farewell for Mauritania Ambassador O Lebatt

14 August 2007

Distinguished Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Professor
Mohammed El-Hacen Ould Lebatt
Excellencies
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

Thank you for joining us here today to say farewell to His Excellency
Ambassador Mohammed El-Hacen Ould Lebatt who will be leaving South Africa at
the end of his term of duty as the first Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of
Mauritania to South Africa.

In the time that you have served South Africa there have been many changes
in Mauritania. Importantly, the upheavals have culminated in successful
elections and the historic inauguration of Mauritanian's first democratically
elected President on 19 April 2007.

Your government is to be congratulated on the peaceful and efficient manner
in which the elections were conducted. Mauritania has thus been readmitted to
the African Union and has become another of the increasing number of African
countries to make the peaceful transition to democratic rule.

As you prepare to return to your country please know that South Africa will
continue to support the Mauritanian government and its people in their efforts
to reconstruct and develop their country.

Already, there exist very strong bonds of friendship and solidarity between
our two countries that will serve as good foundation for further collaboration.
During the visit to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania by our Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma in 2005, a General Cooperation
Agreement was signed to cement the diplomatic relations between our two
countries.

Since then, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania opened a resident diplomatic
mission in Pretoria in 2006, also serving as the diplomatic mission in Southern
African Development Community (SADC). South Africa has therefore taken the
necessary steps to reciprocate, and the preparatory work has been done and we
hope to have a South African Mission in Mauritanian by the end of the year.
These developments we anticipate will further boost our bilateral
relationship.

Your Excellency, during your term of office in South Africa Ambassador you
have energetically pursued the interests of your country but also promoted our
shared in vision of a renaissance for our continent. Also, as an academic and
scholar you have made and I am sure will continue to make substantial
contribution to Mauritania's constitutional and democratic development.

I think it is safe to say that, as a result of your efforts on behalf of
your country, no longer will Mauritania be confused with a small island in the
Indian Ocean starting with an M and including similar vowels!!

Ladies and gentlemen, in his capacity as Rector of the University of
Mauritania, Ambassador Lebatt had over the years also made an important
contribution towards the establishment of an appropriate educational framework
as well as the development of skills and expertise at tertiary level in his
country in order to meet the new challenges facing our continent.

Ambassador, I am sure you will leave many friends behind in South Africa,
and we sincerely hope that this will not be farewell, but that you will visit
us again soon, you will always be welcome here.

We understand that you are taking up another position with a company with
South African and Mauritanian interests and which operates in the field of
mining in central and East Africa. We wish you every success in this new
venture, and are delighted that this will mean that you will retain your ties
with South Africa.

We would like to collectively convey to you our gratitude and recognition
for the many positive contributions you have made towards the establishment of
strong bilateral relations between South Africa and Mauritania.

Thank you and bon voyage.

Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
14 August 2007
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs (http://www.dfa.gov.za)