In a phone-in conversation with the nation, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz reiterated his readiness to talk to the opposition and civil society. But some activists insist that no meaningful dialogue can occur without prior reforms.
“Some opposition parties pose certain conditions before the start of any dialogue, while these conditions are precisely the issues that must be addressed in the dialogue,” Ould Abdel Aziz said August 5th as he marked the second anniversary of his vote of confidence. “Through a reading of the political scene, it appears that the success factors of this dialogue exist,” said Mohamed Yahya Ould Horma, Vice-President of the ruling Union for the Republic (UPR).
Among these factors are “the postponement of the Senate elections, the absolute possibility of postponing parliamentary and municipal elections, the full availability of the majority for dialogue and the importance of dialogue in the co-ordination programme of the opposition”, Ould Horma added.
El Wiam Secretary-General Idoumou Ould Abdi Ould Jiyid also voiced optimism about the initiative but urged patience with regard to the upcoming elections.
Political parties need to end their media campaigns and agree on the importance of dialogue, according to ADIL party chief Yahya Ould Ahmed El Waghef.
“The lack of conviction both from the opposition and the majority as to the necessity of alternation in power by peaceful means is one of the true causes impeding the dialogue,” he added.
For their part, the Rally of Democratic Forces (RFD) laid out five preconditions. The opposition party insisted the authorities must consider the Dakar Accord as the basis of any dialogue, refrain from suppressing peaceful demonstrations, open the public media to civil society actors and abstain from any manipulation of the administration, the armed forces and security for political gains. Furthermore, the party called again
Full Article: Mauritania civil society divided on national dialogue (Magharebia.com).