Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06NOUAKCHOTT322
2006-03-21 17:34:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Nouakchott
Cable title:  

UPCOMING IMF BOARD MEETING--USG SUPPORT FOR

Tags:  PREL PGOV BBSR EINV EPET ECON EFIN EAID MR 
pdf how-to read a cable
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R 211734Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5278
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0211
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0242
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 0398
RUEHBAD/AMCONSUL PERTH 0206
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RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
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RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 000322 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/W AND EB/IFD (A. BESMER)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV BBSR EINV EPET ECON EFIN EAID MR
SUBJECT: UPCOMING IMF BOARD MEETING--USG SUPPORT FOR
MAURITANIA REQUESTED BY COL. FAL AND PRIME MINISTER


Classified By: Ambassador Joseph LeBaron, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d)

--------------
(C) KEY POINTS
--------------

-- The Prime Minister called in Ambassador March 20 to press
for USG support at an IMF Board Meeting in Washington next
week, on Monday, the 27th.

-- The IMF Board is to consider waiving or delaying an $18
million reimbursement by Mauritania for non-complying
payments to the IMF, according to the Prime Minister.

-- Mauritania wants the USG to support waiving the $18
million reimbursement. The non-complying reimbursement stems
from Mauritania's misreporting in 2002.

-- Military Council leader Col. Fal made a similar request in
a message passed to Ambassador, through the Foreign Minister,
also on March 20.

-- Col. Fal and the Prime Minister also asked that the USG
support, at an IMF Board Meeting scheduled for June 21, the
immediate cancellation of Mauritania's debt under the G8
initiative.

-- Both Col. Fal and the Prime Minister said that the
Mauritanian public perceives the IMF decision to delay debt
cancellation as "sanctions," and IMF insistence on immediate
repayment of non-complying disbursements would only add to
that perception. Col. Fal asked that Mauritania's progress
on the democratic transition also be taken into consideration.

------------
(C) COMMENTS
------------

-- Mauritania has, in fact, made significant progress, both
in its macroeconomic policies and in its transition toward
democracy.

-- Much, of course, remains to be done. A presidential
election is still 12 months away, and Mauritania still has a
way to go to fully comply with IMF conditions, including
improving public finance management and budgetary
transparency.

-- But Embassy believes USG support at the March 27th meeting
would be a useful tool in encouraging the Mauritanians to
continue working hard on the ambitious transition timetable
they have set for themselves.

-- Moreover, Mauritania is under an IMF Staff Monitored
Program, so there is far less chance of Mauritania
backsliding now.

End Key Points and Comments.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 000322

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/W AND EB/IFD (A. BESMER)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV BBSR EINV EPET ECON EFIN EAID MR
SUBJECT: UPCOMING IMF BOARD MEETING--USG SUPPORT FOR
MAURITANIA REQUESTED BY COL. FAL AND PRIME MINISTER


Classified By: Ambassador Joseph LeBaron, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d)

--------------
(C) KEY POINTS
--------------

-- The Prime Minister called in Ambassador March 20 to press
for USG support at an IMF Board Meeting in Washington next
week, on Monday, the 27th.

-- The IMF Board is to consider waiving or delaying an $18
million reimbursement by Mauritania for non-complying
payments to the IMF, according to the Prime Minister.

-- Mauritania wants the USG to support waiving the $18
million reimbursement. The non-complying reimbursement stems
from Mauritania's misreporting in 2002.

-- Military Council leader Col. Fal made a similar request in
a message passed to Ambassador, through the Foreign Minister,
also on March 20.

-- Col. Fal and the Prime Minister also asked that the USG
support, at an IMF Board Meeting scheduled for June 21, the
immediate cancellation of Mauritania's debt under the G8
initiative.

-- Both Col. Fal and the Prime Minister said that the
Mauritanian public perceives the IMF decision to delay debt
cancellation as "sanctions," and IMF insistence on immediate
repayment of non-complying disbursements would only add to
that perception. Col. Fal asked that Mauritania's progress
on the democratic transition also be taken into consideration.

--------------
(C) COMMENTS
--------------

-- Mauritania has, in fact, made significant progress, both
in its macroeconomic policies and in its transition toward
democracy.

-- Much, of course, remains to be done. A presidential
election is still 12 months away, and Mauritania still has a
way to go to fully comply with IMF conditions, including

improving public finance management and budgetary
transparency.

-- But Embassy believes USG support at the March 27th meeting
would be a useful tool in encouraging the Mauritanians to
continue working hard on the ambitious transition timetable
they have set for themselves.

-- Moreover, Mauritania is under an IMF Staff Monitored
Program, so there is far less chance of Mauritania
backsliding now.

End Key Points and Comments.


1. (C) Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar called in
Ambassador on March 20 to seek USG support for Mauritania's
efforts to convince the IMF Board to waive or delay any
reimbursement of non-complying payments because of
Mauritanian misreporting in 2002. The Board is scheduled to
take up the matter on March 27. The Prime Ministers also
requested USG support in canceling Mauritania's debt under
the Multilateral Debt Reduction (G-8) Initiative at a
scheduled June 21 Board session. Also attending the meeting
was Foreign Minister Ahmed Ould Sid'Ahmed and Central Bank
Governor Zeine Ould Zeidane.


2. (C) The Prime Minister noted that in its December 21
session, the IMF Board delayed the cancellation of
Mauritania's debt pending demonstration of sound
macroeconomic policies over a period of six months as well as
well as other transparency measures, including providing
corrected data to the Fund. During its discussions with an

NOUAKCHOTT 00000322 002 OF 002


IMF mission in January for a Staff Monitored Program, the
transitional government had pressed to have the IMF consider
the period to be the last quarter of 2005 and the first
quarter of 2006 rather than to wait for the results of the
SMP in June.


3. (C) The Prime Minister's other concern was that the Board
was to meet on March 27 to discuss repayment of non-complying
disbursements for 2002 totaling 12 SDR or about $18 million.
The Prime Minister asked for USG support to have the
repayment waived entirely, and failing that have some or all
of the repayment delayed until after June, at which time it
would become part of the debt cancellation.


4. (C) The Prime Minister said that the Mauritanian public
viewed the delay in debt cancellation as "sanctions" against
Mauritania and not as the result of the practices of the
previous government. Requiring immediate repayment of 2002
non-complying disbursements would only add to tensions inside
Mauritania, a situation that would be unwelcome at this
delicate time in the transition.


5. (C) Ambassador replied he would convey the transitional
government's request to Washington.


6. (C) The Central Bank Governor later told DCM he is
confident that Mauritania will be close to meeting IMF
conditions when a mission comes in April to review
Mauritania's progress and that the Board will be able to vote
to cancel Mauritania's debt in June.


7. (C) He remained concerned, however, of the Director
General's decision to recommend to the Board on March 27 to
have Mauritania repay 2 million SDR within 30 days and 10
million SDR by June 15. If the Board agreed, then at the end
of the SMP in June Mauritania will have only nine days cash
reserves vice 21 days reserves at the start of the SMP in
January, which would be an odd result. On the other hand, if
the IMF delayed repayment until after June (rather than
waiving outright the repayment, a rare occurrence),the
repayment would be cancelled along with the other debt, but
only after the IMF is satisfied with Mauritania's
transparency and other macroeconomic policies, and that the
monies will go to decrease poverty.
LeBaron