NIGER: AFRICAN UNION CHAIRMAN QADHAFI STOPOVER MORPHS INTO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NIAMEY 000165 DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, AND NEA/MAG PARIS FOR AF WATCHER SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KDEM PGOV SOCI AU LY NG SUBJECT: NIGER: AFRICAN UNION CHAIRMAN QADHAFI STOPOVER MORPHS INTO FOUR-DAY VISIT; REVIVES THIRD PRESIDENTIAL MANDATE DEBATE Ref: A) 08 Niamey 1111, B) Niamey 0109 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. African Union (AU) Chairman Muammar al- Qadhafi's March 12 stopover in Niamey concluded three days later, March 15. Government of Niger (GON) President Mamadou Tandja praised Qadhafi for the delivery of six former hostages previously held by Mouvement des Nigeriens Pour la Justice (MNJ) rebels and welcomed Qadhafi's efforts to secure peace and stability for the region. Qadhafi drew the ire of several Nigerien civil society organizations after remarks he made at an official banquet criticized term limits and revived debate about a possible third presidential mandate (Ref A). He stressed the need to quell unrest in many corners of the continent in order to facilitate the realization of a United States of Africa. End summary. ¶2. (U) AU Chairman Qadhafi extended a few-hours' stopover into a March 12-15 visit. The GON quickly pulled together a March 14 gala/banquet to which Government leaders (Cabinet ministers, National Assembly deputies, and commissioners),the diplomatic corps and other prominent personalities were invited. GON President Tandja opened the event more than an hour later than scheduled; he thanked Qadhafi for the delivery of five military officers and one gendarme. He noted that through the aid of the Government of Libya, a total of 27 hostages had returned to their families in Niger in three waves: 6, 15, and 6 over the past two years. He added his hope that Qadhafi, in his role as AU Chairman, would facilitate the return to Niger of remaining hostages. ¶3. (SBU) The gala was only scheduled to consist of a dinner and performances by several renowned cultural groups, including Tuareg women's singing group Sogha and Tuareg-Woodabe musical group Etran Finatawa but, apparently unexpectedly, Qadhafi stated he'd like to make a few remarks. He then proceeded for approximately an hour to ramble about his concerns for the continent. Citing his responsibilities as AU Chairman and Magreb Union Leader, he stated that Madagascar is his major current preoccupation. He commented that most recent conflicts on the continent have occurred in the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) space: Guinea (Conakry),Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Chad, and Togo, but added that the political environment in the Horn of Africa and Kenya, trafficking of all kinds and insecurity in the Sahel are all troubling. He emphasized that he had informed his "brothers" in Guinea (Conakry),Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania that military rule would not be acceptable, that the will of the people must prevail. He reported that ousted Mauritanian President Abdallahi had accepted to remain in his village and recognized he couldn't return to the Presidency because it wasn't the will of the people. Qadhafi announced that his "brother" (referring to General Aziz) had assured him that elections would be conducted in Mauritania on June 6, 2009. He added that he informed Aziz that he or any uniformed military personnel whom wished to run for elected office, should resign their military posts, to ensure a return to civilian rule. He said that the CEN-SAD and the AU will send representatives to Guinea-Bissau to investigate the recent assassinations there. ¶4. Next Qadhafi spoke of the will of the people. He stressed that if the people believe the President is doing a poor job that they have the right to vote him out of office when he next stands for election. On the other hand, he emphasized that if a President is doing a good job, and it is the will of the people to keep him, then a good leader shouldn't be bound by a piece of paper like a constitution. He said Western democracies, like the United Kingdom and Italy, permit their leaders to run for unlimited numbers of mandates, thus African nations should be permitted to do the same. Further, he stated government in Western nations is unimportant because institutions work well with or without government. However, he added, in Africa, good leaders should be allowed to stay the course as long as the people want them to do so because institutions in Africa can't function without government. He said that he had studied the constitutions of Guinea (Conakry) and Guinea-Bissau because those countries had problems, then emphasized he had not studied the Nigerien constitution because "there are no problems in Niger." (Note: Qhadafi's comments about the irrelevance of constitutions infuriated leaders in several Nigerien civil society organizations. Comments aired in media reports included: "Nigeriens know what is best for Nigeriens; Qhadafi only speaks for himself and needs to stop meddling in the internal affairs of other countries; Nigeriens don't need a dictator, emperor or potentate; elections are conducted on the basis of law." End note.) ¶5. (SBU) Qadhafi reported that he advised MNJ rebels to lay down their arms to facilitate peace talks, but that some rebels expressed fear that they may have to account for their past actions. He said they want a guarantee they will not be punished. He expressed pleasure at being able to reunite the former hostages with their families, and said he wants to be an agent of peace. (Comment: NIAMEY 00000165 002 OF 002 Provided the movement towards peace continues to gain momentum from the February 2009 Niger-Mali Peace Forum (Ref B),the MNJ release of six GON security force hostages and talk of a second peace forum, Concord Day (April 24),the Nigerien national holiday that marks the signing of the 1995 Peace Accords, may be a window of opportunity to announce the cessation of hostilities. End comment.) Qadhafi closed the event calling for measures to stem trafficking of all kinds in the Sahel: drugs, cigarettes, arms, mines and people. Minimize considered. Allen