Strasbourg, 06/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - MEP Marie Anne Isler Béguin has been appointed by European Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner to head the EU electoral observer mission for the legislative and municipal elections in Mauritania, on 19 and 26 November. In a press release, the French Green member welcomes the success of the June referendum, “which endorsed a new Constitution”, and notes that the fact that the dictatorial regime of President Ould Daddah was overthrown on 3 August 2005 allows one to hope that Mauritania will soon be back on the democratic track. Long forgotten by the media, this country has been in the news since its coasts became the point of departure for thousands of illegal African migrants, the MEP said, hoping that the new financial resources linked to exploitation of oil resources off the Mauritanian coast will allow the future government to develop an ambitious social and environmental policy and build a “privileged strategic partnership” with the EU, mainly on the subject of migration.