The National Rally for Reform and Development (Tawassoul) has called on the Mauritanian government to handle the expected negotiations on the fisheries partnership agreement with the European Union with a sense of national responsibility, stressing the need to give priority to the country's higher interests, preserve national sovereignty over marine resources and insist on strict environmental safeguards that prevent the depletion of fish stocks.
In a statement issued as the agreement's implementing protocol expires on Saturday, the party said this juncture is an opportunity to reassess the policy for exploiting marine resources and to correct the imbalances that marked previous agreements.
The statement criticised what it described as the limited financial return Mauritania receives compared with the real value of its marine resources and the scale of the revenue earned by those who exploit them, pointing to the absence of lasting economic and development returns commensurate with these resources.
The party said the next phase should lay the foundations for a balanced partnership that widens the national benefit from marine resources, by improving the supply of fish products to local markets, encouraging national employment, transferring expertise, modernising the national fleet and developing facilities and infrastructure linked to the fishing sector.
The statement stressed that environmental safeguards and control and safety mechanisms should be essential conditions in any future negotiation, warning of the risks of depleted fish stocks and environmental degradation and the hard-to-repair damage that could follow.
In this context, the party called on the government not to make any concessions that undermine the country's sovereign rights or squander its marine wealth, and urged political forces and civil society organisations to follow the file and help push for a fair and balanced partnership that brings equitable returns to Mauritania.
It also invited experts, researchers and national elites, particularly specialists in fisheries, the marine economy and the environment, to put forward their views and proposals for developing a sound national policy for exploiting marine resources.
Tawassoul demanded that the exploitation of national resources, especially marine resources, be subject to a broad and transparent national debate that allows the public to learn the details of the agreements, their terms, their profitability and the revenue they bring the country, and called on citizens to follow the expected negotiations and play their role in oversight and accountability.
The party concluded its statement by saying that the expiry of the protocol is an opportunity that should be seized to move beyond past imbalances towards an approach that ensures the protection of national resources, their proper exploitation and the best use of their revenue in the service of the country and its citizens.
