MONGOLIA'S INCOMING PM OUTLINES NEW GOVERNMENT,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 ULAANBAATAR 000637 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE DEPT FOR EAP/CM AND EAP/EX STATE PASS TO USTR E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON SOCI MG SUBJECT: MONGOLIA'S INCOMING PM OUTLINES NEW GOVERNMENT, SUPPORTS STAYING IN IRAQ REF: A. ULAANBAATAR 624 ¶B. 619 Classified By: Ambassador Mark C. Minton for Reason 1.4 (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Mongolia's ruling party chief Bayar, who is almost certain to become Prime Minister this month, indicated in a November 6 meeting with the Ambassador that he is "fully committed" to continuing Mongolian participation in the Iraq Coalition. Bayar, elected Chairman of the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) on October 27, said he is negotiating the formation of a coalition government. He said he hopes the opposition Democratic Party will join the new government but doubts this is likely, as Parliamentary elections are expected in June 2008. Bayar said the main goals for his administration are to tame inflation; win approval for major mining projects such as Oyu Tolgoi; make the civil service less bureaucratic; and make the election system more fair. In a separate meeting on November 6, the Ambassador heard Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Elbegdorj downplay the possibility of DP participation in an MPRP-led government. Elbegdorj called MPRP talk of restructuring a "faade" and accused Bayar of putting party interests ahead of national interests. Elbegdorj said Mongolia needs to fight corruption and the MPRP needs to stop resorting to election fraud. On mining, Elbegdorj criticized the current administration's record and said what is needed is a unified approach in which the views of the Government, the opposition, NGOs and others are taken into account. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) In an hour-long meeting with the Ambassador at MPRP headquarters, party Chairman S.Bayar made clear that he strongly supports continued Mongolian participation in US-led peacekeeping operations in Iraq. He said that although he was not yet in a position to speak for the government, "We're fully committed to continuing cooperation with your country on this very important matter." Bayar, who could become Prime Minister as early as next week, said Mongolians fully understand the importance of promoting peace and democracy. Bayar expressed support for comments that President Enkhbayar made to POTUS at the White House on October 22, signaling the Mongolian President's commitment to continuing Mongolian participation in the Iraq coalition. RULING PARTY IN TURMOIL -------------- ¶3. (SBU/NF) Turning to domestic politics, Bayar noted that the formerly communist MPRP has been in turmoil since late August, due to criticism of (and within) the party over corruption and "not-so-wise decisions made by the party's leadership." This was the impetus for last month's extraordinary MPRP Congress, he explained. (Note: During the Congress, attended by 678 delegates, Bayar won the party chairmanship by defeating former MPRP chief and incumbent Prime Minister Enkhbold by an 88-vote margin (reftels). Stunned by the loss and the evaporation of his power base, ULAANBAATA 00000637 002 OF 005 Enkhbold submitted a letter of resignation to Parliament on November 5. He will remain Prime Minister until a successor is approved. Bayar confirmed that he has invited Enkhbold to take part in the next government. Enkhbold is expected to become Deputy Prime Minister. End Note.) BAYAR ON COALITION GOVERNMENT -------------- ¶4. (C) Bayar, articulate and fluent in English, said the process of forming a new coalition government is ongoing and complicated, and that he expects the process to last no more than one or two weeks. He said the MPRP is negotiating with other parties, including the Motherland, National New and Republican parties, the opposition Civil Will Party and the country's biggest opposition force, the Democratic Party. "We hope the Democratic Party will join us, but the probability of that is quite low," he said. Bayar indicated that although he has no plans to dramatically alter the current Cabinet structure, he would like to reduce the number of ministers. "Eighteen ministers is clearly too many for us," he said without elaborating. Bayar said that with little time left before the June 2008 Parliamentary election, the new government will have to be realistic about what it can achieve. For this reason, he said, he has four main goals for the next administration: -- Get inflation (13 percent last year) under control, particularly the prices of basic goods. -- Approve major mining projects, first and foremost the Rio Tinto/Ivanhoe agreement to develop the Oyu Tolgoi copper/gold deposit. "The situation demands it," Bayar said. -- Make the civil service less bureaucratic. "It's a big job, but we have to start somewhere." -- Make the election system more fair and less corrupt, in part by passing a new Election Law. "Elections are becoming more and more dirty here, with big flows of cash. We should address this, to create a responsible Parliament." ELBEGDORJ ON MPRP AND BAYAR -------------- ¶5. (C) In an hour-long meeting at DP headquarters facing Sukhbaatar Square, DP chief and former Prime Minister T.Elbegdorj told the Ambassador that the MPRP held its extraordinary party Congress because MPRP members knew that change was necessary to send a message to a dissatisfied public. He said MPRP talk of "renewal, restructuring and democracy is just a faade" and that the ruling part is committed to corrupt, status-quo practices. Elbegdorj, showing no sign of a recent auto accident that claimed the life of his driver and sent the DP chief abroad for medical care, said the relative openness of the MPRP Congress "was not because the MPRP opened the doors from within; Mongolian people opened the doors from the outside." He said he has ULAANBAATA 00000637 003 OF 005 known Bayar since 1990, enjoys a good relationship with him and considers the MPRP chief open-minded. But Elbegdorj hinted that Bayar has never been a top-tier leader. "He'll be in a challenging position. He won't be able to avoid making mistakes." Elbegdorj also criticized Bayar for planning to retain Enkhbold in the next Cabinet, describing the current Prime Minister as chronically corrupt. The DP chief also slammed Bayar for saying that his first priority was to help the MPRP win re-election, rather than pledging to improve the country. ELBEGDORJ ON DP ROLE IN COALITION GOVERNMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) Elbegdorj said that although the DP has not yet received any formal request from the MPRP to help form a governing coalition, the ruling party had expressed clear interest. Elbegdorj did not specifically rule out such participation, but made clear that the DP has no plans to join forces with the MPRP. If the DP were to join an MPRP-led coalition government, he said, "There would be problems within my party... It would be very difficult to make a case to our supporters in June 2008." Nevertheless, Elbegdorj said that if the next MPRP-led government gets serious about fighting corruption, "We will support the MPRP, even from the opposition." He also said that with support from one or two other non-MPRP Parliamentarians, the MPRP could form its own, single-party government. Elbegdorj also revealed that the DP is seeking a merger with the Civil Will Party. "We have the same values. Like I told Civil Will: They have the good ideas and we have the national network; we should work together." Elbegdorj said the MPRP was courting Civil Will as well. Civil Will, said Elbegdorj, "will have a difficult choice: Either think of the future and work with the DP, or seize the current opportunity and work with the MPRP." DEMS WORRIED ABOUT ELECTION FRAUD -------------- ¶7. (C) Elbegdorj accused the MPRP of using its local administrative capacity to gain an unfair edge in elections. He said Russian experts taught the MPRP 20 such techniques, although he did not provide any examples. The use of even one such technique can result in the loss of up to five percent of the vote, he said. "This is why the DP loses local elections, despite all of our support." The DP chief also characterized the Election Commission as partisan, saying seven of the nine commissioners are pro-MPRP. "In a democracy, you need to have trust in an election body. If we're not careful, this country could become a Putin democracy, a Lukashenko democracy." Elbegdorj also alleged that the Government is planning to distribute roughly one million dollars to every provincial governor. He called this an election ploy "disguised as road and education assistance." On the draft budget, Elbegdorj said government expenditures would account for 47 percent of GDP. He said most other countries at Mongolia's phase of development ULAANBAATA 00000637 004 OF 005 average around 20 percent. ON MINING, ELBEGDORJ WANTS CONSENSUS... -------------- ¶8. (C) Their remarks on mining showed that major differences remain between Elbegdorj and Bayar, and between their respective parties. Elbegdorj drove home the point that there is no Mongolian consensus on how to proceed with mining, and revenue-sharing thereof. "When Prime Minister Enkhbold presented the Oyu Tolgoi deal, the administration ignored the opposition, the civil movements and everybody else, and it failed," Elbegdorj said. "The issues are still too fragmented to be submitted to Parliament. The administration should hold a forum, invite everyone to discuss the issues and build a consensus. We need a unified position. If one doesn't exist, you've got different people talking about different things." The DP chief added that members of his party who have recently toured mines in Australia and elsewhere have "had their eyes opened." ... AND BAYAR WANTS DEVELOPMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) Bayar, for his part, said the Oyu Tolgoi deal should be formally approved in the first quarter of 2008, with approval of the Tavan Tolgoi deposit not far behind. The latter, he said, will require "solving some legal issues involving certain personalities." Bayar said Mongolian authorities need to show the people the benefits of mining, adding: "All these civil movements and public demonstrations are keeping this mining controversy alive... We need to encourage people to work, and not to wait for handouts." Bayar suggested that Mongolian authorities intend to consult with leading U.S. financial companies, including JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, on "how to approach these deals." The MPRP Chairman also said President Enkhbayar was greatly impressed by Alaska's Permanent Fund during his recent visit there, adding that the MPRP plans to study the implementation of a similar fund. Bayar said he agreed with President Enkhbayar that the Government should launch a Permanent Fund-type project at the same time that a big mining project is approved, to "stimulate a positive public attitude." ENKHBAYAR TRIP HAILED -------------- ¶10. (C) Bayar hailed Enkhbayar's successful trip, calling it "very good news, especially as it came during the MPRP Congress." Bayar said Enkhbayar, who along with POTUS signed a $285 million Millennium Challenge Compact for Mongolia, was very impressed, partly by his two-night stay at Blair House, and partly by the high level of President Bush's involvement in the visit. "Symbols are important to us Mongolians, and we're grateful our President was received in such a high and friendly manner," Bayar said. ULAANBAATA 00000637 005 OF 005 COMMENT -------------- ¶11. (C) The latest nationwide surveys show the DP with a two-point lead over the MPRP, 32 percent to 30 percent. Elbegdorj appears to be betting "double or nothing"; rather than accept a junior DP role in an MPRP-led coalition government, he is gambling that his Democratic Party can ride voter discontent to outright victory in the June 2008 Parliamentary elections. He may well be correct, although as Elbegdorj concedes, the MPRP will see its public approval rating rise as a result of the MPRP Congress and the departure of Enkhbold as party chief. We find it ironic that Bayar, heavily implicated in vote-buying at the MPRP Congress, would list election-system fairness and anti-corruption among his goals for the new administration. We are heartened by Bayar's support for continued Mongolian participation in the Iraq Coalition, and guardedly optimistic about his pronouncements on prompt approval of major mining projects. As always with the mining issue, however, the devil is in the details, and there will be little political incentive for the Democratic Party to help the MPRP-led government record successes, on the Oyu Tolgoi deal or anything else. MINTON