Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08PORTLOUIS207
2008-06-16 10:05:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Port Louis
Cable title:  

MAURITIUS SENDING 20 OBSERVERS TO ZIMBABWE

Tags:  PHUM PGOV PREL ZI MP 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO0113
OO RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHPL #0207 1681005
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 161005Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY PORT LOUIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4046
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT LOUIS 000207 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2018
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL ZI MP
SUBJECT: MAURITIUS SENDING 20 OBSERVERS TO ZIMBABWE

REF: A. PORT LOUIS 189

B. ANTANANARIVO 417

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Virginia Blaser for reasons 1.4
b and d.

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT LOUIS 000207

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2018
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL ZI MP
SUBJECT: MAURITIUS SENDING 20 OBSERVERS TO ZIMBABWE

REF: A. PORT LOUIS 189

B. ANTANANARIVO 417

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Virginia Blaser for reasons 1.4
b and d.


1. (C) SUMMARY. The Government of Mauritius has agreed to
send fifteen additional election observers for the June 27
presidential run-off election in Zimbabwe. This moves their
election observer numbers up from five to 20. The observers
will arrive in two to three tranches beginning immediately,
and the Mauritian Electoral Commissioner will head the
Mauritian delegation. The GOM was clearly swayed by the
Malagasy contribution as reported in reftel B. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) On Monday, June 2, Ambassador Cabrera called on Prime
Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam (reftel A) to discuss a wide
variety of issues, including GOM presence at the upcoming
presidential runoff elections in Zimbabwe. During this
meeting, the PM said that Mauritius would be sending a "much
larger" delegation to the runoffs than had been sent for the
March elections. Subsequent to this meeting, Post learned
from a variety of contacts that the GOM's increases (from one
observer to five) were more modest than implied by the Prime
Minister.


3. (C) DCM then contacted a number of high-ranking MFA and
government leaders to lobby the GOM to further increase the
number of Mauritian election observers. Reftel B was
particularly helpful in this regard, and allowed for
additional pressure to be placed on key contacts. Of note,
Ambassador Patrice Cure and the Electoral Commissioner were
particularly supportive of the increase in observers, with
Cure himself volunteering to make up part of the team.
According to a number of Embassy contacts, the Secretary of
Foreign Affairs, Anand Neewoor, however, did not support an
increase and actively rejected requests by others to lobby
the Prime Minister in a positive fashion.


4. (C) In order to minimize Neewoor's influence on the
decision, on Friday, 13 June, DCM contacted Prime Minister
Ramgoolam's Private Secretary (who was accompanying the Prime
Minister during his official visit to France) to ask her to
brief the PM directly and request a quick response. The PS
told the DCM that the PM was in favor of further increasing
the numbers and that he would delegate the final number
decision to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Beebeejaun, who was
Acting PM in Ramgoolam's absence. Ambassador Cabrera called
Deputy Prime Minister Beebeejaun to urge Mauritius to
increase their observer numbers, and obtained Beebeejaun's
commitment of 20 observers.


5. (C) COMMENT. Post recommends reinforcing this development
with a senior-level USG call to the PM to give our thanks for
his quick support. The Prime Minister returned from France
on Sunday, 15 June, and Post will send to AF/E via email
possibile PM availability for a quick call. END COMMENT.
CABRERA