Update - Heads Of Arab Supreme Courts Convene İn Mauritania

The Eighth Conference of Heads of Arab Supreme Courts kicked off in Mauritanian capital Nouakchott on Monday.



The conference is being attended by Mauritanian Prime Minister Yahya Ould Hademine, a number of Mauritanian government ministers and several foreign diplomats.



The heads of several Arab supreme courts -- including those of Qatar and Oman -- are also attending the two-day event.



"The conference will tackle a host of issues, including the authorities exercised by [Arab] supreme courts and the nature of their jurisdiction as courts of referral," Al-Hussein Ould al-Nagaie, the head of Mauritania's Supreme Court, said in opening remarks.



According to Ould al-Nagaie, conference participants will also discuss the nature of the legal authorities exercised by Arab supreme courts and the role of legislators in establishing higher tribunals.



Addressing attendees on Monday, Ahmed Salim Ould Bouhbini, a former head of the Mauritanian lawyers' syndicate, declared that justice in Mauritania "remains under the firm control of the executive authority".



"Rule of law in Mauritania is being steadily eroded," Ould Bouhbini asserted.



He supported his assertion by citing a recent EU-funded study showing that 82 percent of Mauritanians preferred to settle legal disputes outside of court due to a lack of confidence in the country's court system. -