Ban welcomes decree setting up transitional government in Mauritania

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the signing of a decree setting up a transitional government in Mauritania, which he hopes will pave the way for the holding of free and fair presidential elections next month.

A statement issued by his spokesperson said Mr. Ban considered the decree signed on 26 June “an important step towards the consolidation of democracy in the country.”

President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallah, who was elected after multi-party democratic elections in 2007, was overthrown by the country''s military last August in a move that was widely condemned, including by Mr. Ban and the United Nations Security Council.

“The Secretary-General hopes that the new transitional government, created through constructive dialogue between the main Mauritanian political parties, will lead the country towards a free, fair and transparent presidential election, held in a safe environment, on 18 July 2009,” said the statement.

Mr. Ban reiterated his gratitude to President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, the Chairman of the African Union and the facilitators who worked as part of the International Contact Group to assist the Mauritanian parties in finding “a consensual way out of the crisis.”