HIGH-LEVEL US DELEGATION DISCUSSES DEMOCRACY AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 NOUAKCHOTT 000151 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/14/2016 TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV PHUM PINR EAID MR SUBJECT: HIGH-LEVEL US DELEGATION DISCUSSES DEMOCRACY AND COUNTERTERRORISM -- DELEGATION'S GOVERNMENT MEETINGS REF: A. NOUAKCHOTT 87 ¶B. 05 NOAKCHOTT 1451 Classified By: Amb. Joseph LeBaron, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) -------------- (C) Key Points -------------- -- A high-level interagency mission led by AF PDAS Pittman met with Colonel Fal for 2 1/2 hours, called on the Prime Minster, the Foreign Minister, and the National Independent Electoral Commission, and met with members of the Military Council responsible for security matters, during a busy three-day visit to Mauritania February 7-9. -- As is his wont, Fal gave a lengthy (59-minute) justification for the coup, but then laid out a clear sense of direction and personal commitment to the electoral timeline. That said, he demurred on discussing ways for Mauritanians to return to vote, including black African Mauritanians in Senegal and Mali. -- Both the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister assured the delegation that ministers were given autonomy to run the government following the general directives of the military council given following the coup. -- Members of the National Independent Electoral Commission strongly agreed that the commission was completely independent from the government. -------------- (C) Comments -------------- -- The visit of the high-level delegation was extremely useful, still timely, and well-received. It received extensive media coverage and press play (see septel). -- Two overriding dangers continue to threaten the process: (a) an exogenous shock such as an assassination or coup attempt that derails the process, and (b) inexperience, inefficiency, and inadequate resources that combine to delay the timeline. Any significant delay would threaten the already-shaky confidence among Mauritanians here that the country will actually be able to pull off the ambitious transition to democracy that it has set for itself. End Key Points and Comments. ¶1. (U) During a three-day visit to Mauritania February 7 - 9, an eight-member interagency delegation headed by AF PDAS Bobby Pittman and including members from S/CT, DRL, AF, NSC, OSD and USAID met with transitional government and election's officials to assess Mauritania's transition to democracy. -------------- -------------- COLONEL FAL EXPLAINS THE COUP AND TRANSITION TO ELECTIONS -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Fal began the meeting by explaining at length to the delegation the reasons for "the events of August 3rd." In response to Pittman's statement that the coup had put US-Mauritanian relations on "unstable footing," Fal said that "the Mauritanian people, like the American people," were uncomfortable with coups. "We completely understand your position," Fal said, adding "but it is impossible for you to understand our position, because thank God you haven't lived through our situation." "If you had, you would understand why this change was needed," Fal concluded. ¶3. (C) In discussing the military council and transitional government's actions, Fal said "we have created a truly independent electoral commission...we have liberalized the press and made it more available to all Mauritanians...we have reformed the justice system and implemented a good governance campaign...and we have established a National Independent Commission on Human Rights", adding that "everything we have done, and everything we will do is in close coordination with political parties and civil NOUAKCHOTT 00000151 002 OF 004 society...they have been involved in every step." ¶4. (C) At the close of the meeting, Ambassador asked Fal about a UNHCR proposal to allow Mauritanian refugees living in Senegal and Mali to return and participate in elections (Ref A). In a spirited response, Fal said the return of these people "was an important question for the Mauritanian people, and would be taken on at the appropriate time, but it would throw the election process offline and jeopardize the transition if we tried to take it on now." "I'm not trying to run away from the issue," Fal said, "but we have a hard enough task registering those Mauritanians whose citizenship is established, let alone those whose citizenship is in doubt." Fal added that he was unaware of the UNHCR proposal, which according to Head of Mission for UNHCR Didier Laye, had been passed to Mauritania's ambassador in Geneva two weeks earlier (Ref A). ¶5. (C) In closing, Fal reiterated his commitments to the delegates that no member of the military council or the transitional government would run in the coming elections, that the Military Council would relinquish power by May 2007, and that the government was committed to fighting terrorism. -------------- ELECTORAL COMMISSION BEGINS ITS WORK -------------- ¶6. (C) The delegation met with all 15 members of the National Independent Electoral Commission including its president, Cheikh Sid'Ahmed Ould Babamine, a former ambassador and military officer. Babamine explained that the commission began operations only two months ago, and that commission members "are not election experts...rather we were chosen for our independence and integrity," he said, adding that "we are all trying to learn our roles and we will need help from our friends, particularly the U.S., if we are to be successful." ¶7. (C) Babamine highlighted two of the commission's early successes. "We have selected regional commission representatives who will oversee all aspects of the transition." "These representatives are currently being trained in Nouakchott, with the help of a UN elections expert, and will be sent out into the field next week to oversee the census," he said. "We also delayed the census by two weeks when we saw that the Ministry of the Interior needed more time," Babamine said adding that "this is the first example of the commission using its power to ensure that elections are free and fair." ¶8. (C) In response to a question about how the electoral commission would ensure its financial independence, Babamine said "we don't believe that receiving our budget from the transitional government means we have to answer to the government," adding that "the Mauritanian people are our only leader and we answer to them alone." Several commission members added to this point by stating that "if we feel our independence is being jeopardized we will leave the commission," and "we are a completely independent and autonomous commission." ¶9. (C) In response to another question concerning the relationship between the Ministry of the Interior and the commission, Babamine explained that "the Minister of the Interior is our main partner in the election process because he is in charge of the administration of the elections...that the commission will then oversee." "I can tell you now that we have an excellent relationship with the Minister of the Interior and with the entire administration," Babamine said, adding that "when we bring a problem to their attention they solve it right away...we have full oversight." Babamine cited the decision to delay the census as an example of this cooperation. ¶10. (C) In response to Ambassador's question as to how the commission will respond to the eventual claim by at least some Mauritanians that the voter list was as flawed as previous voter lists, Babamine said "we plan to involve the public in the entire process to show our commitment to the fairness of the list." "Our regional representatives will oversee the census to make sure everyone is counted, and no NOUAKCHOTT 00000151 003 OF 004 one is left out or counted twice," he said. "If any problems arise, we will handle them swiftly," Babamine said, adding that "in the end, if the list is not fair, we will have the government start the process over and make a new list." -------------- -------------- PRIME MINISTER SAYS DEMOCRACY IS "FIRST PRIORITY" -------------- -------------- ¶11. (C) PDAS Pittman asked Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar about the progress of the transition process and what issues Boubacar expected to face over the coming year. Boubacar highlighted two major themes: the government's commitment to the transition process, and the improvement of Mauritania's economic health. Boubacar said the transition to democracy was the government's "first priority, even at the expense of other programs" adding that "we have a clear roadmap and we foresee no delay" to meeting the transition milestones. He said he was satisfied with the process thus far, and felt that the active role the government had taken in consulting with political parties and civil society had maintained strong support for the transition. However, he warned that the transition process would significantly strain the government's limited financial resources. ¶12. (C) Boubacar discussed the government's current judicial reform and good governance efforts. In terms of governance, he noted that they have implemented "complete transparency," both in budgetary matters as well as legislative decision-making. He specifically pointed to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative agreement recently signed by the government as evidence of their commitment. In terms of judicial reform, Boubacar said measures were underway to create a fully independent judiciary and provide additional training for magistrates. -------------- --- MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS URGES USG ENGAGEMENT -------------- --- ¶13. (C) Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Ould Sid'Ahmed urged the delegation to press for strengthened U.S.-Mauritanian relations. "We are currently working on our transition to democracy with the European Union, the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Conference, the Arab League, and the Association of Francophone Countries," Sid'Ahmed said, adding that "these other organizations have all decided to take an active role in our transition...and we need the US' help as well." ¶14. (C) Responding to a question about the balance of power between the Military Council, the Council of Ministers and Colonel Fal, Sid'Ahmed said "the ministers are responsible for the daily operations of the government, while the Military Council fills the legislative role. Fal presides over both groups and acts as a bridge between them." Sid'Ahmed stressed that the "civilian" ministers run the government. -------------- CT MEETING WITH FIVE MILITARY COUNCIL MEMBERS -------------- ¶15. (C) The delegation met with Col. Mohamed Abdel Aziz, Chief of Presidential Guard; Col. Mohamed Ould Cheikh Mohamed Ahmed (Ghazwany),Chief Of National Security; Col. Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh El-Alem, Deputy Chief of Defense; Col. Ahmed Ould Bekrine, Chief Of Staff, National Gendarmerie; and Col. Sogho Alassane, Chief Of Staff, National Guard to discuss Mauritanian counterterrorism efforts. ¶16. (C) A recurring theme from each of the military council members was that the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) terrorist threat was a regional issue and must be addressed through regional cooperation among the west African countries affected by the GSPC. ¶17. (C) The group also emphasized Mauritania's commitment to the counterterrorism effort. Col. El-Alem specifically noted that Mauritania "would spare no effort" to continue the fight NOUAKCHOTT 00000151 004 OF 004 against terrorism. Reiterating this point, Col. Ahmed noted that bilateral cooperation with the United States was crucial to the effort. While regional cooperation was the goal, Col. Ahmed explained that Mauritania looked to the U.S. to play a vital role in facilitating communication among the neighboring countries and encouraging continued regional commitment. ¶18. (U) This cable was prepared after the departure of the delegation. The delegation has not cleared the text. LeBaron