MEETING WITH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HANANA

C O N F I D E N T I A L NOUAKCHOTT 000207 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/26/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR EAID KDEM MR SUBJECT: MEETING WITH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HANANA REF: NOUAKCHOTT 98 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Charles H. Twining. Reason: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Presidential candidate Saleh Ould Hanana said the August 2005 coup d'etat was a "vindication" of his bloody 2003 coup attempt. While pleased with the transition, he believes that the new government will need to go further in several areas. He was a "witness" to the 1989 Events, which saw violence and the displacement of thousands of people, and beleives the country needs to find reconciliation. Although backed by moderate Islamists, he sees cooperation with the USG as important. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Charge and DCM called on presidential candidate Saleh Ould Hanana February 23 at his party headquarters in Nouakchott. Hanana, who is president of the Mauritanian Party for Union and Change (Hatem),had agreed to meet Friday at noon, before prayers, as he had just returned from a campaign trip and the official campaign was to begin the next day. The headquarters was bustling with people, mostly men, mostly young and mostly White Moor. We were led through the crowd, and brought to Hanana's spacious but sparse office. Joining Hanana were two Islamists, former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Moktar Mohamed Moussa and diplomatic RELATIONS chief Amar Ould Mohamed Najem. Both had attended our meeting last month with moderate Islamist leader Jemil Mansour (reftel). Since that meeting, their Islamist group Centrist Reformists has publicly endorsed Hanana, and what we saw was clear evidence that Hanana's campaign has been strengthened from this alliance. Hanana indicated that he has been able to build campaign organizations in all 53 departments (moughaata) in the 13 regions (Wilaya). ¶3. (C) Charge asked Hanana his reasoning behind leading a bloody attempted coup d'etat in 2003 and now participating in the POLITICAL process. Hanana said that the 2005 coup d'etat was a "vindication" of his coup attempt. Since 1989 Mauritania's POLITICAL situation was getting worse and worse, and while his attempt failed, the 2005 coup succeeded in making the needed change and bringing about democratic rule, which is what he had wanted all along. ¶4. (C) When asked if he intended to continue the policies of the transitional government, he noted that in fact a lot more needed to be done in terms of good governance and reforms. He then raised the issue of restitution for victims of the 1989 events, saying the new government needed to resolve the issue. While international partners may be sought out to help, it was primarily a Mauritanian problem requiring a Mauritanian solution, saying that there were only "about 500 families" to indemnify, not an overwhelming number. He called himself a "witness" to the 1989 events, which appalled him and formed a basis for his stance against the Taya regime. Hanana said he liked what the South Africans had done. He would not want to go after the perpetrators, but only undertake a process on the basis which the government would apologize to the victims. ¶5. (C) Charge then asked if Hanana was prepared to support another CFCD candidate if he does not go to the second round. He hesitated for a second and responded "yes, in principle," and added that the members of the coalition would be meeting to make an agreement on this question. ¶6. (C) With the two prominent Islamists sitting there, we asked how the Islamist group's agreement to support him was working, noting that some wondered which side was calling the shots. He said a "directorate" has been created to combine his efforts and those of his party with those of the Centrist Reformist group. It coordinates the campaign down to the departmental level and will make the internal decision regarding support of a winning CFCD candidate for the second round. He did not answer the question directly as to whether he is in charge. ¶7. (C) Hanana concluded that he wanted the United States to understand that the partnership between our two countries is important for both, but especially for Mauritania, which will need U.S. support both bilaterally and multilaterally. He wants that relationship to develop in mutual respect. While we will invariably have differences, we have even more areas where we need to work together. "Together we can do a lot," he concluded. ¶8. (C) Comment. This is the first time that the Embassy has met Hanana at this level, as we did not want to give his previous activities any legitimacy. However, now that his Hatem party has been recognized by the government, he has been accepted into one of the two major POLITICAL coalitions, and his presidential candidacy has been accepted, this seemed to be an opportune moment to know the man better. Our calls on major candidates and POLITICAL leaders of all stripes is well publicized here and meeting Hanana will in these circumstances would be less conspicuous. Note that the President recently invited him in for a chat, as he did some other candidates. ¶9. (C) Comment continued. Hanana sported a beard and wore a traditional boubou, but his military bearing came through just as strongly as if he were wearing a uniform. We are not ready to judge the former Major's sincerity about his altruistic motives for his coup attempt, or his disgust of the 1989 events. Despite the support of the Islamists, it is unlikely he will make it to the second round. However, given his relative youth and vigor, and his surprisingly good political survival skill, he is a person to continue to watch. Twining