A former ambassador to Switzerland, Lemine was named on 28 April 2007 to the post of Foreign Minister in the new government under Prime Minister Zeine Ould Zeidane and President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.
He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation on August 1, 1984.
He served in a number of positions, including first Advisor of Mauritania's Permanent Mission to the United Nations from February 1992 to January 1996 and Consul-General in the Canary Islands from February 1996 to August 1997.
In September 1997 he became Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Office of the United Nations and the International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, and in November 2006 he became Ambassador to Switzerland.
[1] In Parliament on 7 July 2007, Lemine denied all accusations that there were U.S. prisons, secret military bases or training camps in Mauritania, responding to concerns from deputies.