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)

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(C) Key Points
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-- 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.

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COLONEL FAL EXPLAINS THE COUP AND TRANSITION TO ELECTIONS
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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

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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