Niger: UN-AU-ECOWAS Delegation Meets GON Officials,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NIAMEY 000531

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TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM SOCI AORC UN AU ECOWAS NG
SUBJECT: Niger: UN-AU-ECOWAS Delegation Meets GON Officials,
Political Parties, and Civil Society

Ref: a) Niamey 00375, b) Niamey 00344, c) Niamey 00211

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1. Summary: On July 20-21, a joint UN-AU-ECOWAS delegation met with
President Tandja, PM Oumarou, political party leaders, civil
society, and labor union heads in an attempt to defuse the ongoing
political crisis. All meetings took place behind closed doors;
President Tandja subsequently declared on state media that the
referendum would still be held, and declared that he acted in
response to the needs of the Nigerien people, not of the
international community. The delegation also met with a few members
of the diplomatic corps to discuss the political environment. End
summary.

Envoys Meet Prime Minister Oumarou
--------------

2. On July 20, the delegation, made up of United Nations (UN)
Secretary General's Special Envoy for West Africa Said Djinnit,
African Union (AU) Special Representative for Cote d'Ivoire Ambroise
Niyonsaba, and Economic Commission of West African States
(ECOWAS)Commission President Mohammed Ibn Chambas, met with Prime
Minister Oumarou. Foreign Minister Mindaoudou and Minister of
Professional and Technical Training Mamadou (former Minister of
Justice and an author of the new constitution draft) also were
present. Official sources in Niamey indicated, without further
detail, that discussions related to "the political situation
prevailing in Niger."

Meetings: Political Parties, Civil Society and Unions
-------------- --------------

3. On July 20, the envoys met with representatives of the Alliance
of Democratic Forces for the Republic (AFDR),made up of parties of
the ruling coalition, and civil society organizations supporting
President Tandja - namely the Citizens' Movement for Peace,
Democracy and the Republic (MCPDR). Nouhou Arzika, leader of the
MCPDR, stated on private radio that they gave their interlocutors a
historical background of Niger's political situation during the past
20 years and analyzed the behavior of political leaders during that
period. Regarding the August 4 referendum, Arzika told envoys that
"It is the will of the sovereign people. The people should be the
beginning and the end of all actions. There is no crisis, unlike
what you seem to believe. There is just a conflict of interest due
to some politicians moved only by the desire to serve their personal
interests."


4. Bazoum Mohamed, vice president of the PNDS, the main opposition
party, told journalists that opposition parties "had clearly
explained to the delegation their position, that is, Tandja must
repeal his decision to hold a referendum, even if it means to open
dialogue with him." Responding to another question by foreign media
about the results of the meeting with international envoys, he said,
"We do not know what emerged from Mr. Tandja's meeting with the
tripartite delegation, but we know one thing - he is stubborn and
will not listen to them. We are getting organized in order to block
the referendum."


5. The delegation also met with labor unions, with no details yet
available. Abdou Maigandi, the leader of the Trade Union of
Nigerien Workers (USTN) told the press that unions had explained
their position to the delegation, and made the following comment:
"We wish good luck to these envoys as they face leaders who do not
share the virtues of democracy. Tandja has returned to his military
past, so he will not back down. It looks like the delegation
arrived too late."

President Tandja Receives the Delegation
--------------

6. On July 21, envoys met with President Tandja in the presence of
Foreign Minister Mindaoudou and Minister of Professional and
Technical Training Mamadou. ECOWAS Commission President Ibn
Chambas, however, indicated to government media that the purpose of
the delegation's trip was to explore how their respective
institutions could play a role in order to "ensure the continuity of
dialogue among Nigeriens, to restore consensus, which was a
mechanism for managing political affairs that greatly helped the
country...The President has indicated to us that he is always open
and ready to discuss with all (political parties, civil society, and
unions) in order to ensure the consolidation of
democracy...Political parties have also insisted on the need to
resume dialogue between political parties and other active forces of
the nation in order to overcome the current situation in Niger...We
have always insisted on the fact that it is up to Nigeriens to solve
their problems via dialogue and through consensus."


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7. On July 20, the UN System Coordinator arranged a meeting, at the
request of the delegation, with several diplomatic corps ambassadors
and international institution senior representatives in order to
gain their perspective on the political environment as
representatives in the host country. There was consensus that
President Tandja is unlikely to cancel the August 4 referendum.

"I Respond to Nigeriens, not Internationals"
--------------

8. On July 21, President Tandja spoke on state media regarding the
delegation's visit and declared that he responded to the people of
Niger, not the international community. He further affirmed that
the referendum would continue on schedule; if the people rejected
his plan for a new constitution, they could vote "no."

President Tandja Hosts West African Journalists
-------------- --

9. While Ibn Chambas reaffirmed "the deep concerns of the
international community and ECOWAS" about the situation in Niger,
President Tandja commissioned several West African journalists to
travel throughout Niger to see and report on his "great work." In a
press conference on July 20, he told them that "the people have come
to me and asked me to stay for three years in order to complete what
I undertook...I told them that we have to change the Constitution,
because the current one does not allow it...the people have opted
that we go to the referendum...The president is required to call the
referendum."

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

10. Since the beginning of the year, President Tandja has had
several meetings with UN, AU, and ECOWAS officials. For example, on
March 13, President Tandja assured UN envoy Said Djinnit that he
would organize elections within the legal timeframe (ref C). The
same day, Foreign Minister Mindaoudou convoked foreign diplomats to
explain President Tandja's referendum plans (ref B). On May 15, the
ECOWAS Council of the Wise urged President Tandja not to seek an
extension of his term of office (ref A),but to no avail. End
comment.

ALLEN