SENEGAL: DEMARCHE REGARDING WADE'S COMMENTS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 001095

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, INR/AA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR MR SG
SUBJECT: SENEGAL: DEMARCHE REGARDING WADE'S COMMENTS ON
MAURTITANIAN COUP

REF: 09/11/08 ARENDT/BERNICAT DEMARCHE EMAIL

Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR MARCIA BERNICAT FOR REASONS 1.4
(B) AND (D).


1. (C) Summary: Under instruction from Senegal's President
Wade and in the presence of his Mauritanian counterpart,
Foreign Minister Gadio publicly reiterated on September 17
Senegal's support of the AU position condemning the use of
coup d'etat. The Foreign Minister had briefed Wade on the
ref demarche expressing USG disappointment with Wade,s
comments on the recent coup in Mauritania, which Ambassador
delivered to Foreign Minister Gadio on September 16. During
the meeting Gadio had also echoed Senegal's President saying
that Senegal must tread carefully when dealing with its
immediate neighbors, given that Senegalese citizens resident
in Mauritania have been subject to violent reprisals in the
past when Senegal was too vocal in its criticism of events in
Mauritania. The Foreign Minister underscored his
government,s desire to see democracy restored in Mauritania.
End summary.


2. (SBU) On September 16, Ambassador Bernicat, accompanied
by Political Counselor Mosby, met with and delivered ref
demarche to Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio
expressing the USG,s disappointment regarding President
Abdoulaye Wade's September 10 comments calling for a moderate
reaction to the recent coup d,etat in Mauritania. The
Ambassador emphasized that the coup is a significant setback
for Mauritania and noted that the African Union (AU),
Nigeria, and South Africa had condemned the coup, as had the
Secretary of the Organization of the Islamic Conference
(OIC). The Ambassador stressed that so-called political
errors by ousted President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi
could not be used to justify a military takeover and the
contravention of the constitution. She also explained that
sanctions under consideration by the United States would
target coup leaders, cabinet members, and civilians assisting
the illegal junta.


3. (C) Foreign Minister Gadio responded, in spite of
President Wade's comments, that Senegal's "real" position on
the matter has not changed: Senegal supports the position of
the AU and condemns all coups. Gadio described President
Wade's comments as the result of discussing with the press
hypothetical scenarios for the return of President Abdallahi
to power, suggesting that Wade was merely a victim of giving
a too frank analysis of the situation to the media.

Senegal Supports AU Position, But Must Be Careful
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Gadio emphasized that Senegal supports democracy and
believes there is no "good" coup d'etat. However, the
Foreign Minister was at pains to explain that, while Senegal
could be tough in the case of Zimbabwe, for example, the
government must proceed with caution when responding to
events in Mauritania (as it must with its other neighbors the
Gambia, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau) because of the
potential consequences, especially for Senegalese immigrants
residing in Mauritania. He pointed out that Senegal is
"surrounded by generals," (whether elected or not) and
therefore had to be careful. According to Gadio, former
Mauritanian President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya expelled
and massacred black Mauritanians and Senegalese immigrants in
part because it was reported in the press that President Wade
had taken a hard line with Taya in a phone conversation.

President Abdallahi Was Elected, But He's No Saint
-------------- --------------


5. (C) Gadio also commented that while President Abdallahi
was democratically elected, he was not "pure" and had become
president "by accident." The Foreign Minister described
Abdallahi's candidacy as the creation of the military. When
asked by the Ambassador if he thought the 2007 election had
been free and fair, Gadio responded that the election itself
had been free and fair, but that the candidates and events
had been manipulated and orchestrated beforehand. Moreover,
he reported that a source close to the ousted president
claims that President Abdallahi chose to fire all of the
military chiefs to prevent a "constitutional coup."
Ostensibly, the coup leaders were working with members of
parliament to engineer the legal removal of the president.
Gadio suggested that by firing the military chiefs before
they could get such a measure passed, President Abdallahi
forced the coup leaders, hand.

Coup Leader Aziz Isn't All Bad
--------------

DAKAR 00001095 002 OF 002




6. (C) With regard to coup leader Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz,
Gadio noted with approval that Aziz has been using the title
of "President of the High Council of State" rather than
"President of the Republic." Therefore, the Foreign Minister
suggested, these events could conceivably and technically be
viewed as a "crisis" rather than a coup and that a "path out
of the crisis" might be possible. Some European countries,
he added, were exploring whether President Abdallahi could be
returned to power only to resign and allow for new elections
to maintain democratic form. Moreover, Gadio was pleased
that Aziz has informed Senegal that he will honor the
previous government's agreement regarding the repatriation of
black Mauritanian refugees and insists that he wants a
"non-racial" Mauritania.

I Will Reiterate Our Support of the AU Position
-------------- ---


7. (C) The Foreign Minister, as promised, subsequently
informed President Wade of the USG's disappointment and
concerns. Wade in turn reportedly informed Mauritanian
Foreign Minister Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou during a
September 17 meeting in Dakar that the Americans had
requested a strong statement from Senegal condemning the
coup, given that Senegal is a democracy, and instructed Gadio
to make such a statement in Mohamedou's presence.


8. (U) Gadio made the statement to local media upon leaving
the presidency with the Mauritian Foreign Minister by his
side. Gadio said that Senegal "has no other option but to
align itself with the AU position on military coups."
President Wade consults regularly with Jean Ping, head of the
AU Commission, regarding the coup. Gadio reiterated that the
AU condemns coups and has called for the restoration of
democratic order and constitutional rule. Gadio went on to
note that in President Wade's own words the Senegalese and
Mauritanians are "one people in two states" and therefore
what happens in Mauritania is of concern to Senegal. Gadio
emphasized that Senegal is sensitive to these special links
and that Presidents Wade and Aziz communicate regularly.
Moreover, he said, the meeting with Foreign Minister
Mohamedou went well. Finally, he noted that Senegal
acknowledges the reality of the coup in Mauritania but
encourages the country to return to democratically elected
government. His comments were later broadcast on local
television at 8:00 pm.

Comment
--------------


9. (C) Post was pleased to see such a quick and clear
response to the ref demarche. Even though it was Gadio who
delivered the condemnation, doing so in the presence of
Mauritania's Foreign Minister sends a stronger message than
we would have anticipated. It is, however, worthy of note
that Gadio called for the return of democratically elected
government, but not necessarily the return of Abdallahi to
power.
BERNICAT
BERNICAT