Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08NOUAKCHOTT449
2008-08-21 15:10:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Nouakchott
Cable title:  

MFA SAYS RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL WILL REMAIN

Tags:  PREF PGOV MR IS 
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DE RUEHNK #0449 2341510
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 211510Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7542
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE
RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA 0118
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0166
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0483
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0272
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RUEHDS/USMISSION USAU ADDIS ABABA
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0612
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
C O N F I D E N T I A L NOUAKCHOTT 000449 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/20/2018
TAGS: PREF PGOV MR IS
SUBJECT: MFA SAYS RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL WILL REMAIN
INTACT

REF: NOUAKCHOTT 443

Classified By: Ambassador Mark M. Boulware for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L NOUAKCHOTT 000449

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/20/2018
TAGS: PREF PGOV MR IS
SUBJECT: MFA SAYS RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL WILL REMAIN
INTACT

REF: NOUAKCHOTT 443

Classified By: Ambassador Mark M. Boulware for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

1.(C) On August 21 Ba Samba Mamadou, the Deputy Director for
American and Asian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(MFA),called on the Embassy to disavow a recent press report
suggesting that Libyan leader Muammar Qadafi had offered to
off-set Israeli assistance to Mauritania provided General
Abdel Aziz agreed to severe diplomatic relations with Israel.
The report, carried by the local Arabic language newspaper
Al-Akhbar, was attributed to an anonymous source within the
MFA and relayed a supposed conversation between Qadhafi and
High State Council (HCE) member General Ghazawni (Ref. A).

2.(C) Ba indicated that he was acting on orders directly from
Gen. Aziz to reassure the U.S. that the Al-Akhbar report was
unfounded and that Gen. Aziz had no intention of severing
relations with Israel. Ba said that in his personal opinion,
respect for diplomatic relations with Israel was ingrained
within the Mauritanian military. He also said that President
Abdallahi was under a lot of pressure from Muslim groups to
revisit Mauritania's traditional relationship with Israel and
the military, and Gen. Aziz in particular, was better placed
to serve as a guardian for Mauritania's ties to Israel.

3.(C) Comment: The Mauritanians -- under either Abdallahi or
Aziz -- continue to see the Isreali relationship as perhaps
THE most important U.S. foreign policy concern in Mauritania.
On several occasions Abdallahi promised to refer the
question of diplomatic relations with Israeli to the National
Assembly for a vote, but never actually followed through.
After reading the Al-Akhbar article on August 20, the Embassy
asked Ba if there was any substance to the report. Ba
referred the query to his superiors and received a response,
within 24 hours, apparently directly from General Aziz along
with orders to deliver the message to the Embassy
immediately. The junta is likely to try to use the
relationship as a card to get the U.S. to ease its opposition
to the coup.
Boulware