19 September 2007
Ambassador-designate Mark Boulware to Mauritania
Bush nominee’s statement at Senate confirmation hearing
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STATEMENT OF MARK BOULWARE
AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE TO THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF
MAURITANIA BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
September 19, 2007
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, it is an honor to appear before you today as President Bush's nominee to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. I thank President Bush and Secretary Rice for the confidence and trust they have shown by nominating me for this position.
I would also like to introduce my wife, Nora Jean Boulware, who has been a full and tireless and partner during my 32 years of public service. Mauritania is a fascinatingly diverse country with a rich history, but it has not been a place from which we were accustomed to receive good news. Bridging the northern reaches of the Sahel and the heart of the Sahara, Mauritania faces a cruelly challenging natural environment. Less than one percent of the land is arable, and large segments of the population are vulnerable to desertification and to cyclical droughts that can quickly lead to critical levels of malnutrition.
Beyond hardship and suffering, such conditions worsen economic and ethnic tensions that have, at times, exploded into violence as was the case with the terrible events of April 1989 when news of a minor episode on the Senegal border produced spontaneous acts of violence against both foreign black Africans and Afro-Mauritanians inside Mauritania as well as attacks on Mauritanians in Senegal. As I witnessed first hand while posted in The Gambia, ethnic violence followed by reciprocal expulsions displaced hundreds of thousands, including a substantial number of Afro-Mauritanians who were expelled from their own country.
The challenges of a harsh climate and geography, sparse natural resources and an uneasy ethnic mix would be daunting for any government, but the unbroken string of authoritarian governments that ruled Mauritania since independence were incapable of making meaningful progress in dealing with Mauritania's internal problems. Meanwhile, in the neighboring Maghreb, an Algerian terrorist group found a new lease on life as well as regional ambitions as an Al-Qaeda franchise. This group, calling itself Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, attacked a Mauritanian military outpost in June 2005, killing 17 soldiers. It still represents an active threat to stability in the region and to Mauritania specifically.
The United States has always responded generously to the humanitarian needs of the Mauritania people and we continue to do so. This year, for example, we are providing about $7.5 million in P.L. 480 Title II food aid.
The Peace Corps is carrying on a nearly 40 year tradition in Mauritania of doing exceptional grass roots development work under some of the most austere conditions imaginable. If confirmed, I would work to ensure the continued success of these invaluable programs.
The United States has also responded to assist Mauritania and its neighbors through the Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership (TSCTP), a program designed to confront the threat in the Sahel through an integrated approach linking counterterrorism assistance, targeted development assistance and public diplomacy outreach to prevent terrorist groups from using Mauritania or its neighbors as a safe haven. In managing this complex program, I will, if confirmed, draw on my long experience with the military as a U.S. Army officer and as a Foreign Service officer who has both studied and taught at senior military schools and who managed political-military programs in Cameroon, El Salvador and Brazil.
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, Mauritania's decision to take a moderate and constructive approach in dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict relieved a long-standing irritant in our relationship. That decision took concrete form with Mauritania's recognition of Israel in 2000. Mauritania remains only one of three Arab League members to recognize Israel.
Notwithstanding these improving fundamentals in the U.S.-Mauritanian relationship, we were quite skeptical when a coup brought to power a military junta that promised a transition to democracy. We strongly urged a prompt return to constitutional government via free and fair elections and suspended most forms of assistance.
Mauritania turned an exciting new page in its history in March of this year when the transitional military junta did indeed make good on its promise to establish democracy. That democracy, now the world's newest, under the leadership of President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, has moved boldly to address the problems facing the country. Working closely with Parliament, he has acted to increase transparency and accountability in the management of public resources, particularly those deriving from new and modest but potentially growing oil revenues. His government is working with the United Nations and Senegal to return expelled Afro-Mauritanians, thereby correcting an historical injustice while eliminating an obstacle to closer relations with an important neighbor. Perhaps most dramatically, his government has acted not merely to declare again that slavery is illegal, but for the first time in Mauritania's history to make it a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment. It has added penalties for Government officials who fail to implement the law. These strong actions address concerns that have historically tempered any significant improvement in our bilateral relations.
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, as it moves to meet these monumental challenges, this new government looks to the United States for concrete support for a democratic Mauritania. The security dimension of our relationship is an important one and we should certainly maintain our robust security assistance. Mauritania also seeks our assistance in building democratic institutions and mechanisms of good governance, establishing the rule of law, and, above all, promoting economic development.
The success of this new democracy in a developing country that is both Arab and African is indeed important to our interests. If confirmed, my job would be to work with all of the relevant agencies of government to bring appropriate resources to bear. This would include, in particular, working to restore a modest USAID presence, so that multiple development and assistance programs are rational, sustainable and informed by genuine development expertise. It would also include working with the Millennium Challenge Corporation to lay out a clear roadmap for the Mauritanian government to achieve threshold status as quickly as possible. I will also work with the Mauritanians to help them take full advantage of the opportunities offered by AGOA.
Finally, let me note that I am keenly aware of the often difficult conditions of service for our personnel in Mauritania as well as the Chief of Mission's personal responsibility for the safety and welfare of all Americans and U.S. Government employees in country. If confirmed, Mauritania would be my tenth overseas posting to a hardship assignment. I understand very well an Ambassador's obligation to ensure the well being, fair treatment and high morale of mission staff and family members. If confirmed, I pledge to play such a role.
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I look forward, if confirmed, to working with you, your distinguished colleagues, and members of your staffs to advance our agenda with Mauritania. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
