Mr. Minister of Communications
Mister President of the Press Reform Commission
Madame Secretary General
Madame Representative of the United Nations Development Program
Esteemed Presidents of Press Associations
Honored journalists
Ladies and gentlemen

To begin, allow me to say to you that the commemoration of World Press Freedom Day has a special significance this year.  For it comes at a very sensitive moment in the history of this friend of ours, Mauritania. The presence of such a large number of journalists and communicators is the proof of what I am saying. It is why I say to you that your presence among us fills our hearts with happiness.  Thank you for coming and thank you for such a positive response to our invitation.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

It's not superfluous to say that the press constitutes one of the most important components of democracy, if not the most important. That places upon you an especially large responsibility in inculcating a culture of democracy in the minds of citizens and encouraging dialogue and tolerance between individuals and peoples.  This is all the more true as events of the last few months have demonstrated to us how the role of the press can be positive or, unfortunately, negative in the area of relations between peoples and states.  That leads me to say that your role is, at the same time, very important and very sensitive.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

As you know, the existence of a free press in democratic societies is more than a necessity.  For it responds to an imperative, that of giving to the public the most credible and impartial information possible.  That fact made, and continues to make, an important element in the American vision of liberty of the press.  The press defines, in one way or another, the relation that exists between government and the governed. It is why the writers of the American constitution made the necessity to protect liberty of the press the object of the First Amendment.  It stipulates that Congress cannot vote any law which limits freedom of expression.  On that subject, Thomas Jefferson, one of the founders of American democracy, said "If I were to choose between having government without a press or a press without government I would not hesitate to choose the latter.”

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The United States has a particular interest in the emergence of a flourishing democratic society in Mauritania.  To realize that, we think it is necessary to develop a free and professional press. We have followed with interest the various stages of the work of the Press Reform Commission.  The results of the work of the commission are a source of satisfaction, especially with regard to freedom of the written and broadcast press and encouragement of the emergence of press institutions made credible by their professionalism and their independence from various political actors.  In short, a press that can continue to exist.  Along those same lines, I cannot fail to salute the role played by veterans of the Mauritanian press, in particular Habib O. Maafoudh, who said about freedom: "Freedom is discarded only if we don’t use it."

Ladies and Gentlemen:

To finish, I would say that your role becomes more important day by day, sustained by technological developments in communications, and that the development of your society depends almost exclusively on you.  Also, to contribute to the economic and democratic development of your country it is very important to open the door to all citizens in an equitable manner so that they express freely their opinions and their concerns.

I wish you a good evening and I thank you.

Joseph LeBaron
United States Ambassador to Mauritania
Nouakchott, May  3rd, 2006.