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NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania, 

Jul 13, 2011 — The commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Carter F. Ham, visited Mauritania July 11 and 12, 2011, to participate in a series of meetings with senior Mauritanian officials and U.S. Embassy personnel.

This was General Ham's first visit to Mauritania since taking command of AFRICOM March 9, 2011. U.S. Africa Command provides military-to-military training to the Mauritanian Armed Forces as requested by the Mauritanian government.

While in Mauritania, General Ham met with President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and representatives from the Ministry of Defense and the Mauritanian Armed Forces. General Ham was accompanied by U.S. Ambassador Jo Ellen Powell and her staff at the U.S. Embassy.

Visits such as this ensure that military cooperation is well coordinated between senior leaders and provides General Ham an opportunity to hear from Mauritania's leaders to understand their defense and security-related issues.

â?Each country in the region has its own interests and its own particular concerns,,â? said Ham during a press briefing with Mauritanian journalists. â?But I heard today and yesterday from the president, from the chief of defense forces, a very strong commitment to regional cooperation. I have had the opportunity to visit more of Mauritaniaaâ?s neighbors. And what we â? what the U.S. military will do will be to seek additional ways to further the cooperation amongst all of the regional partners.

â?But I should be clear that it is â? it is the responsibility of all the nations of the region to address this common threat. We will do what we can to help, but the nations must take the lead..â?

Mauritania is a partner in the U.S. governmenttâ?s Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership program.

Below is the transcript of General Hammâ?s press conference:

QUESTION: (Through interpreter.) General, what is your assessment of the level of cooperation between the United States and Mauritania in terms of fighting terrorism?

GENERAL HAM: The cooperation between our two countries is absolutely excellent. In my discussions over the past two days with the president, with the minister of defense and the chief of defense forces, we talked about ways in which we can sustain our partnership and indeed find ways to improve our cooperation.

QUESTION: Does AFRICOM ever have or is AFRICOM expecting to have any kind of direct presence here on the land of Mauritania?

GENERAL HAM: We do not envision to have any permanent presence here, other than the small number of military officers who work for Ambassador Powell at the embassy. But we do have members of the United States military who come here to train with the Mauritanians, to conduct exercises and find additional ways to increase our cooperation. And sometimes, those U.S. military personnel are here for a few days; sometimes theyyâ?re here for several weeks.

QUESTION: Mauritania is almost the only country that is on the field, on the ground actually fighting terrorism. The other partners in the region are not fully engaged. What is the United States government doing or expecting to do in order to bring those other countries into the game?

GENERAL HAM: Each country in the region has its own interests and its own particular concerns. But I heard today and yesterday from the president, from the chief of defense forces, a very strong commitment to regional cooperation. I have had the opportunity to visit more of Mauritaniaaâ?s neighbors. And what we â? what the U.S. military will do will be to seek additional ways to further the cooperation amongst all of the regional partners.

But I should be clear that it is â? it is the responsibility of all the nations of the region to address this common threat. We will do what we can to help, but the nations must take the lead. And in that regard, Mauritania has set a very strong example.

QUESTION: Do you think â? do you think that Mauritania military is power enough to (inaudible) and to do a good job against the â? (inaudible)?

GENERAL HAM: The Mauritanian military is quite strong and very dedicated. The people of this country should be very proud of its military forces. Recent operations in Mali and in the southeastern portion of Mauritania are recent evidence of the excellence and of the bravery of Mauritanian soldiers.

But again, I heard from the president, from the chief of defense forces. They clearly understand that one nation by itself cannot defeat this threat. It will require the best efforts of all of the regional states and as well as international partners. The U.S. is included in that.

QUESTION: Does your visit have anything to do with the latest clashes between the Mauritanian army and AQIM in the Wagadou forest?

GENERAL HAM: My visit is not directly related to that. In fact, the visit was planned long before that operation was conducted. But it was an opportunity to discuss with Mauritanian leaders about the excellence of that operation and how we might be able to facilitate future such operations.

And I should also note that I took the opportunity of this visit not only to congratulate the president, the minister of defense and the chief of defense forces on a successful operation, but also to share my condolences for those Mauritanian soldiers who lost their lives in a very brave operation. Mauritania should be very proud of its soldiers, and we should never, ever forget the sacrifice of those who were lost in this battle.

MR: (Through interpreter.) Thank you, thank you for your questions.

GENERAL HAM: Thank you all very much.

(END)