Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09COTONOU100
2009-03-19 13:18:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Cotonou
Cable title:  

BENIN: RESPONSE TO QADHAFI-MAURITANIA DEMARCHE

Tags:  MR PGOV PHUM PREL 
pdf how-to read a cable
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O 191318Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0816
INFO RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA IMMEDIATE 0190
RUEHNK/AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT IMMEDIATE 0191
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI IMMEDIATE 0003
C O N F I D E N T I A L COTONOU 000100 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/W JANE DENNISON, AF/RSA PETER BARLERIN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2019
TAGS: MR PGOV PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: BENIN: RESPONSE TO QADHAFI-MAURITANIA DEMARCHE

REF: STATE 25557

Classified by: P/E CDay for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L COTONOU 000100

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/W JANE DENNISON, AF/RSA PETER BARLERIN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2019
TAGS: MR PGOV PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: BENIN: RESPONSE TO QADHAFI-MAURITANIA DEMARCHE

REF: STATE 25557

Classified by: P/E CDay for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. PolOff delivered demarche to Thomas Adoumasse, Director
of the Office of International Organizations at the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs on March 19. He took the points and
promised to relay them to the AU team.


2. C) Adoumasse elaborated on the issue of democratic
elections and said that just because someone was voted into
power, he did not have the right to act without limits, nor
to set one ethnic group against another. He said that it was
the responsibility of the great powers who guide development
to keep democratically elected presidents in line. He noted
that the people of Mauritania demonstrated against the
president and in favor of the junta. He compared the
situations in Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar and reiterated
that elections did not give a president carte blanche to
enrich himself and his family at the expense of the people or
political opponents.


3. (C) COMMENT. While he promised to send our demarche to
his AU delegation, Adoumasse's comments seem to accept the
coup as a fait acompli. Nothing he said leads us to believe
he supports our position. We will report any substantive
comments by the GOB on the issue septel. END COMMENT.
BROWN