NIGERIEN PRIME MINISTER ADDRESSES DONOR CONCERNS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NIAMEY 001301 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS ACCRA FOR USAID/WA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM MOPS EAID NG SUBJECT: NIGERIEN PRIME MINISTER ADDRESSES DONOR CONCERNS ABOUT REBELLION IN THE NORTH AND PRESS FREEDOM REF: (A) NIAMEY 1298 (NOTAL) (B) NIAMEY 1220 (NOTAL) NIAMEY 00001301 001.2 OF 003 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister addressed donor concerns about the situation in the north and press freedom in an October 19 meeting with diplomats and foreign aid officials. The Prime Minister called the meeting to discuss these issue in Niamey, rather than in the upcoming donors meeting in Brussels on the GON's poverty reduction strategy. Other issues raised included decentralization, aid for the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the possibility of a regional security conference and land expropriation. End Summary. -------------- Setting the Stage -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The GON has been in close contact with donors for months on its poverty reduction strategy in preparation for the donors roundtable in Brussels beginning October 25. Due to GON concerns that some donors may use the Brussels meeting to raise political issues unrelated to the poverty reduction strategy, Prime Minister Senyi Oumarou hosted an October 19 meeting with resident diplomats and donors. He invited them to bring up any subject they wanted, stressing that it was better to do so in Niamey than in Brussels. He left three-quarters of the way through the two-hour meeting, turning it over to Foreign Minister Mindaoudou, who solicited additional questions and comments. ¶3. (SBU) Charge led off the comment period by raising U.S. concerns about the situation in the north and recent GON actions against the press. He specifically noted that the MCC is concerned about those developments in the context of its planned Threshold program. The French and German ambassadors echoed concerns about the north and the press. The Swiss development representative asked about progress on decentralization, and expressed concern about GON plans to expropriate land for large farms, as well as the situation in the north and press freedom. Probably reflecting their role as hosts of the upcoming donors meeting, the EU Charge and Belgian development representative reiterated the Prime Minister's call for the Brussels meeting to focus on the poverty reduction strategy, although the EU charge also expressed concern about the situation in the north and the need to develop a new relationship between the EU and the ACP countries by the end of the year. ¶4. (SBU) Prime Minister Oumarou synthesized the comments by saying the focus of donor concerns was insecurity in the north and press freedom. He said that Niamey-based officials should always feel free to raise such issues with him or the foreign minister. He expressed his hope that donors would be represented in Brussels by people senior enough to make decisions. He then addressed the issues raised. -------------- The situation in the north -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Oumarou traced the current insecurity in the north to the peace agreements that ended the conflict there in the mid 1990s. He claimed that the GON has fulfilled 85 percent of its commitments under those agreements, and would complete the rest in the next two years. The Nigerien people had made many sacrifices for peace, he said. The GON created the High Commission for Peace Reconciliation. Rebels were integrated into the Nigerien Armed Forces, often at ranks far above those for which their education and experience would normally qualify them. The GON does not regret those actions, which he stressed were taken in the name of peace. ¶6. (SBU) Oumarou recalled the attack on military facilities in Iferouane last February, and the demands that were made following that attack. Those grievance could have been made through the democratic process rather than through violence. NIAMEY 00001301 002.2 OF 003 Those involved in the rebellion of the 1990s did not abide by the peace agreements, and specifically they did not fully disarm. The GON therefore needs to be firm. Oumarou complained that unnamed "forQgn parties" support those responsible for the violence. (Oumarou never mentioned the Mouvement des Nigerien pour la Justice (MNJ) by name.) ¶7. (SBU) The current situation can be resolved in the same manner as the earlier rebellion, Oumarou said, adding that the GON is prepared to discuss grievances with "our brothers in the mountains," but only after they disarm and release their hostages. He said there are indirect contacts between the GON and "the armed group" through deputies and traditional leaders. He cited recent defections from the armed group (ref A). He agreed with donors that insecurity in the north does not favor development. It does not favor development elsewhere in the country either, he added. Referring to the Swiss representative's remark that the insecurity in the north has led to high rates of malnutrition there, the Prime Minister said that malnutrition rates were even higher in some other parts of the country. -------------- Press Freedom -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Oumarou denied that the GON had restricted press freedom. He said that RFI reporter Moussa Kaka had not been arrested as a journalist, but as a Nigerien citizen (ref b). In any event, he claimed, the judiciary was independent in Niger. Foreign Minister Mindaoudou later said that the two journalists were arrested for threatening national security, and not for being journalists. She echoed the Prime Minister's earlier claim that the judiciary was independent. ¶9. (U) (The second journalist Mindaoudou referred to is Ibrahim Manzo Diallo, editor of Air Info. He was reportedly detained at the Niamey airport on October 9 as he was preparing to travel to Paris. There are reports that the authorities think he is linked to RFI, and may have even confused him with someone else. He has reportedly been transferred to Agadez. As far as we know, he has not been charged.) -------------- Other Issues -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Decentralization. In response to the Swiss representative's question about decentralization, Oumarou said that some political parties have asked that local elections scheduled for 2008 be postponed to 2009. This request will be considered by all of the political parties in December. He went on to complain that no government work gets done in the six months leading up to elections, and with local elections scheduled for 2008 and national elections scheduled for 2009, the country would be preoccupied with elections for two years. Implicitly acknowledging that decentralization (a component of the 1995 peace accords) was not fully implemented, Oumarou said that a framework is in place, but further work is needed, specifically: the GON needs to create a means to transfer resources to local governments, the local governments need to develop their own revenue sources, and they need to develop their human resources. ¶11. (SBU) OIC aid. In response to a question from the IMF representative about follow up to the Doha meeting of Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) donors, Mindaoudou said that the Prime Minister had recently signed a decree on the subject, and more information would be available soon. She said that she had recently met with the OIC Secretary General in New York, and that the OIC was preparing to send a delegation to Niamey soon to follow-up on the Doha conference. ¶12. (SBU) Regional security conference. In response to a question from the EU charge about addressing security issues on a regional basis, Mindaoudou said that President Tandja was the first to propose the idea, and that work was progressing on the idea. The regional security meeting may or may not be conducted in the framework of an existing NIAMEY 00001301 003.2 OF 003 institution. ¶13. (SBU) GON presence in Brussels. Mindaoudou said that the GON would be represented at the Brussels donors conference by the Prime Minister, and the Ministers of Agriculture, Community Development, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Tourism and Crafts, Commerce, and National Education. ¶14. (SBU) Land expropriation. Mindaoudou assured the Swiss representative that land expropriation was being done legally, and that compensation was being paid. The land would be used for large scale farms that would be mechanized and irrigated. KORAN