MEETING WITH KEY MILITARY OFFICIAL ABDEL AZIZ

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 000078

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2017
TAGS: KDEM MASS PGOV MR
SUBJECT: MEETING WITH KEY MILITARY OFFICIAL ABDEL AZIZ

REF: NOUAKCHOTT 77

Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES CHARLES H. TWINING FOR REASON 1.4 (B,D
)


1. (C) Summary. The Presidential election will be held as
scheduled, without interference and in a transparent manner,
according to one of the country's key military officers.
Colonel Abdel Aziz said that the ruling Military Council will
maintain its neutrality, while an individual, such as he, may
choose to exercise his own right to support a candidate. He
stated that the military is prepared to work with a new
civilian leader, whoever it is, and will do its part to
ensure the security of the country. This is a situation that
merits continued monitoring. End Summary.


2. (C) Introduction. As we near the end of the transition
period begun with the coup of August 3, 2005, the views of
military leaders about the upcoming Presidential election,
both its timing and whether to influence its results, as well
as about the turnover of power to the civilian victor and the
future role of the armed forces, are critical. No one
outside the ruling circle knows to what degree key military
personnel are united, but a major player in this is the
person who was as responsible as any for waging the original
coup d'etat, Colonel Mohamed Abdel Aziz (also spelled Abd El
Aziz),member of the ruling CMJD (Military Council for
Justice and Democracy) and Commander of the Presidential
Guard. The 50 year old Colonel offered Charge and EmbOff his
views in a January 26 meeting.


3. (C) The Coup and Aftermath. Abdel Aziz said tensions
under an inflexible President Taya had been growing to the
point that, had there not been a coup, the country was on the
verge of explosion. Since the takeover, the military leaders
have tried to establish a transitional government that would
open up the country to democracy and allow the transfer to
elected rule. They have adhered to their timetable,
realizing that this is an "historic point" in the country's
life. The series of elections since last November has gone
well, anyone on both the Mauritanian and international sides
wishing to observe them able to do so without hindrance. At
the same time as the democratic process has taken hold, the
leadership has sought to maintain full security. This has
been visible and effective during the elections over the past
three months and will be so during the March election.


4. (C) Military View of the Election. Abdel Aziz said the
Presidential election has been long scheduled for the month
of March and, despite wild rumors that the Military Council
will seek to postpone it in order to prolong its rule, he
insisted that the timetable will hold. We said most
important would be government, and particularly Military
Council, adherence to the commitment to maintain neutrality
and ensure that the election is transparent and honest, with
results that can be recognized by everyone. He agreed,
insisting that the CMJD will honor its promises, that the
election will be completely open and transparent, without the
stuffing of ballot boxes or other fraudulent actions as
occurred during the previous regime, and the winner
recognized, whoever that person turns out to be. He was
obviously sensitive to the concept of neutrality and spoke at
length, and with some passion, about it. Abdel Aziz noted
that he as an individual is free to support anyone he
chooses, even contributing money, like any other Mauritanian
citizen. The line is clearly drawn, however, when it comes
to the use of state funds. None of the latter can be spent
to support a candidate. We said we agreed.


5. (C) Dialogue. Abdel Aziz volunteered that he has met with
some of the leading candidates himself and expected that such
discussions would be continuing. He said he has listened to
their concerns, assured the candidates of government
neutrality, and talked about the future. We observed that
there could be merit in civilians and military leaders
sitting down together and discussing hopes and concerns. The
Colonel said that may be helpful but thought the same was
being accomplished during these individual encounters,
similar to many which have been underway.


6. (C) The Future. Colonel Abdel Aziz said he was tired. He
has headed the Presidential Guard since 1998 and is always on
call. He has been able to do very little travel outside the
country since 2004. If ever he wants to go even to his home
area several hundred kilometers to the north, he has to talk
with President Vall personally and obtain his approval.
Abdel Aziz said he has no desire to lead this kind of life
indefinitely. Similarly, the military does not want to hold
onto power. Much work needs to be done to secure the
sparsely manned borders and fight against extremists. No new
President can take over and not pay attention to those with

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knowledge of security. The Colonel sees a working
relationship necessarily established with the new civilian
President so that the armed forces will continue to assume
their responsibilities in their area of knowledge and
experience. He said that in his contacts he has not found a
single important Presidential candidate who has not agreed
that both sides can work together in the future for the
benefit of the country. As Abdel Aziz put it, one needs
security if there is going to be development, and if there is
no development there is no security. We said we looked
forward to expanding our cooperation with the armed forces
following the transition, and he expressed pleasure and
support.


7. (C) Comment. When rumors swirl about some, or all,
members of the Military Council favoring, and supporting in
various ways, a particular candidate -- specifically Sidi
Ould Cheikh Abdellahi (reftel),at least for now -- Colonel
Abdel Aziz' name is invariably the first cited in that
regard. Indeed, it was the only part of the conversation
where he seemed to show any sensitivity. On the other hand,
if the Colonel is merely backing a candidate as a private
individual, he cannot be faulted; if his activity is part of
a larger strategy of working for a particular candidate's
election, that is something else. It was reassuring to hear
the Colonel say the CMJD would adhere to its pledges
regarding non-interference, the election schedule, and
credible elections. Most important for the future will be
the ability of the military establishment to work as a
constructive part of the government under civilian control.
While Abdel Aziz suggested there would be no problem with the
military doing its part, the exact relationship will need to
be carefully worked out as Mauritania enters a new period in
its history. For the moment, we are watching the situation
carefully, and meetings such as this provide a good
opportunity to remind leaders of our expectations.


8. (C) Post Script. We spoke again with the Colonel after
the President's January 27 speech in which he insisted that
the CMJD intends to follow the rules to the letter and that,
after the transition, the armed forces will remain above
politics (septel). Abdel Aziz said basically, I told you so.
He added that we can only hope the person elected will be
good.
Twining