THE GAMBIA: CEMENTING TIES WITH IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANJUL 000744 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/11/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL KISL IR GA SUBJECT: THE GAMBIA: CEMENTING TIES WITH IRAN REF: A. BANJUL 439 ¶B. BANJUL 529 BANJUL 00000744 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Poloff M. M. Nayyar, Reason 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) On December 5, President Yahya Jammeh returned from a brief official visit to Tehran, where he had meetings with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other high-level members of the GOI as well as with religious leaders. The visit, Jammeh's first trip since the March 21 aborted coup attempt, built upon discussions begun in July with Iran regarding cooperation in a number of areas, such as agriculture and energy, and placed particular emphasis on forming a united Islamic front against so-called hegemonic states. As in bilateral discussions between the two countries in Banjul in July and August, the Iranians made promises of assistance, this time including the extension of three lines of credit for agricultural, industrial and infrastructure projects. The visit is further evidence of Jammeh's determination to secure alternative funding sources as he continues to smart from Western criticsm of The Gambia's human rights record. END SUMMARY. -------------- PROMISES OF COOPERATION ON SEVERAL FRONTS -------------- ¶2. (U) In his first trip outside the country since the March 21 aborted coup attempt, on December 2, President Yahya Jammeh flew to Tehran for an official state visit with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and others. Ahmadinejad, who attended the African Union Summit in Banjul in July as Jammeh's special guest, hosted Jammeh for three days of talks designed to follow up on agreements reportedly made in July (ref A) and discussions held in August during a visit to Banjul by a 28-member Iranian delegation (Ref B). Ahmadinejad promised that his government would provide development assistance to the Gambia, including three credit lines for agricultural, industrial, and infrastructure projects. In his meetings with Jammeh, Iran's Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi discussed expansion of legislative and judicial cooperation between the two Muslim countries, saying he was willing to assist in furthering Islamic civil and juridical law, including the Islamic court system, in The Gambia. Jammeh reportedly welcomed Iran's assistance in Islamic juridical matters. In an Iranian news report, Jammeh noted that in a separate meeting, Ayatollah Khomeini had provided him with useful guidelines for running The Gambia. ¶3. (U) In remarks regarding discussions with President Jammeh, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki highlighted productive meetings between the two countries on foreign relations, agricultural, and energy matters and expressed hope for scientific and academic cooperation as well. The Iranian FM also reportedly welcomed the future opening of reciprocal diplomatic missions in the two countries. -------------- UNITED AGAINST THE WEST -------------- ¶4. (U) Western criticism of both Iran and The Gambia seems to be an important ingredient in the glue cementing the bond between The Gambia and Iran. According to The Gambian French-language "Observer Plus," during a December 3 discussion between Jammeh and the Iranian Judiciary Chief, Shahroudi denounced the West's "denigrating propaganda campaign" launched against Iran with regard to human rights, and thanked The Gambia for its high-level support of the GOI. He portrayed the "arrogant campaign" as a campaign against cooperation and unity among Islamic states. ¶5. (U) The Islamic Fars News Agency reported that in a December 4 meeting between Jammeh and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, Jammeh described the situation in Iraq as a "deteriorating genocide," and criticized the policies of the U.S. in Iraq. Mottaki reportedly concurred, and went on to blast the "blatant violation of Muslims' rights" in the West, citing the sacrilege of Muslim and other minority values as well as the "promotion of inhuman and illegal norms." As the visit drew to a close, President Ahmadinejad noted that The Gambia, like Iran, had been subjected to bullying by "hegemonic" powers and vowed to BANJUL 00000744 002.2 OF 002 support The Gambia in the face of such pressures from the West. -------------- EXPECTATIONS OF IMMEDIATE BENEFITS -------------- ¶6. (U) Upon his return, a triumphant Jammeh held a press conference at Banjul airport and described the trip as a huge success. He noted that he expected the strengthened ties between The Gambia and Iran to benefit both countries, but that The Gambia would benefit much more than Iran. He went on to cite three areas in which the benefits of cooperation with Iran would be visible in the very near future: electricity generation, the water supply, and agriculture. Accordingly, he announced that technicians are due to arrive from Iran the week of December 10 to deal with the erratic water supply in The Gambia. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) President Jammeh sees Iran as an alternative source of aid and his relationship with Iran as gesture of defiance against what he sees as unwarranted Western criticism of the government of The Gambia. Post is taking a wait and see attitude with regard to the assistance that Iran will ultimately provide to The Gambia. We expect that technical assistance will be forthcoming, but have doubts about any significant financial assistance. While there were reports of MOUs signed on the margins of the July AU Summit, and several references to bilateral agreements in the reports on these most recent meetings, the reports have been vague and we suspect that no written agreements have been signed. To show its support for Iran, we expect The Gambia to vote with Iran on many UN issues, but is not clear how far Jammeh will go in adopting Iran's governance policies. We will watch carefully, especially with regard to religious tolerance and Islamic extremism. Jammeh has heretofore held up The Gambia to the world as a model of religious tolerance and moderate Islam. We do not think he is likely to discard that mantel lightly. END COMMENT. ALSUP