FOUR YEARS ON, NIGERIEN NGO UP IN ARMS OVER NIGER

UNCLAS NIAMEY 000022

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT. FOR: AF/W FOR BACHMAN & HEFLIN; AF/PD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPAO NG
SUBJECT: FOUR YEARS ON, NIGERIEN NGO UP IN ARMS OVER NIGER
URANIUM FOR SADDAM CLAIM


1. Apparently prompted by the execution of Saddam Hussein,
on Sunday, January 7, a Nigerien NGO gave a press release
denouncing the USG for its "false accusation against Niger
for the sale of uranium to Iraq." The NGO, CODDAE - the
"Collective for the Defense of Rights to Energy in Niger" -
is managed by Moustapha Kadi Oumani, a leader of the civil
society movement in Niger and an embassy contact on many
issues. An electronic copy of this release (Pol FSN is on the
organization's e-mail list) has been forwarded to Niger
deskoff. The two page release has been covered in the
backpages of one private weekly newspaper as of this writing,
and may appear in others later in the week.


2. CODDAE, an umbrella organization of approximately 40
small NGOs, all of which have something to do with energy or
uranium issues, demanded that President Tandja and the GON
"involve themselves personally so that justice will be given
to our dear country;" and informed readers that "CODDAE's
lawyers are working to make a legal complaint against the USG
to prove to the international community that Niger has never
sold uranium to Iraq, but also to demand amends in the form
of 1,000 billion CFA for the prejudice suffered." The release
closed by noting that the case would "oppose the civil
society of the world's poorest country to the richest country
in the world."


3. For its part, the GON's own reaction to Saddam's
execution was muted. An official GON statement by Daouda
Diallo, President Tandja's spokesman, noted that "Niger
deeply regrets the execution, particularly on the day of
Arafat when God made sacred human blood" (an allusion to
Eid). No GON contacts have ever raised the uranium sale issue
with Ambassador or Emboffs.


4. COMMENT: This marks the first time in Poloff's memory
that any Nigerien - Kadi included - has raised the subject of
the pre-Iraq war USG uranium claims. The press release
appears to be an attempt by Kadi and his colleagues to grab
headlines and capitalize on the recent execution of Saddam.
Periodically, finding themselves out of the limelight,
Nigerien civil society organizations cast around for issues
that might mobilize public opinion or get press. Most such
efforts fail. The GON will likely take Kadi's actions for
what they are - headline grabbing - and ignore the
declaration. Since helping to organize demonstrations against
a value added tax in the spring of 2005, he has not been a
popular man with the GON.


5. The "1,000 billion CFA" ($2 billion) claim for the
"tarnished honor" of Niger, and the language employed
throughout the document suggest its focus on domestic opinion
and perhaps on a few left-wing European groups. NOTE: Kadi
has recently been elected vice-president of a French human
rights NGO, and may now feel that he enjoys a wider audience
sympathetic to anti-American gestures on Iraq. END NOTE
However, it seems unlikely that Nigerien public opinion will
be mobilized by a concern so abstracted from the daily lives
and needs of this country's desperately poor population.
Underscoring the bizarre nature of the entire affair, upon
meeting Pol FSN at a wedding earlier this week, Moustapha
Kadi expressed surprise that Emboffs had not contacted him
regarding the release, but concluded the conversation by
noting that "we will continue to work together." END COMMENT
ALLEN