President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani received members of the Mauritanian Journalists’ Union Executive Bureau this Wednesday morning, 30 October 2019, at the presidential palace in the capital, Nouakchott.
Journalists’ Union President Mohamed Salem Ould Dah described the meeting as representing “a stage of serious and positive engagement with the press and journalists”, noting that the President had promised to consider journalists’ demands and respond positively to them.
The text of the Journalists’ Union President’s statement to the media follows:
This morning, we, the members of the Mauritanian Journalists’ Union Executive Bureau, had the honour of meeting the President of the Republic. It was a cordial meeting in which we discussed the difficulties facing journalists and press organisations, whether related to material or moral rights.
We also discussed the importance of a serious political commitment to reforming the country’s press sector, the importance of professionalising journalistic work in our country, and the need to organise and regulate it.
The President of the Republic responded after we submitted a set of journalistic demands listing all the issues facing journalists within press organisations and in their professional practice and work.
We found that the President of the Republic had an advanced vision, a strong desire and a readiness to engage with the Journalists’ Union to develop a framework for reforming the press sector in Mauritania.
The President of the Republic promised to study the demands and respond positively to them. Following this meeting, we can say that we are entering a stage of serious and positive engagement with the press and journalists.