POST-PARIS: TWO REQUESTS FROM FNDD

C O N F I D E N T I A L NOUAKCHOTT 000159 SIPDIS PARIS FOR KANEDA; RABAT FOR JACKSON; SECSTATE FOR AF-BOULWARE; AF/W-HEFLIN/DENNISON; USEU FOR FRANCIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV MR SUBJECT: POST-PARIS: TWO REQUESTS FROM FNDD REF: NOUAKCHOTT 157 Classified By: CDA Cornelius C. Walsh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Charge met with National Front for the Defense of Democracy President (FNDD),Abdelkoudouss Abeidna, February 20 as Abeidna received word from Paris regarding the outcome of the OIF Consultative Committee meeting regarding Mauritania. (Note: FNDD is national coalition of 14 political parties, Abeidna is president of the National Development Party and FNDD President for the month of February in a rotating monthly Presidency. End note.) ¶2. (C) While initially pleased with the results of the meeting, upon reading the posted OIF communiquQ, Abeidna's reaction was less enthusiastic. EU support for AU targeted sanctions appeared less than firm. RFD proposal for turning government over to President of the Senate as well as Junta proposal to step down on/about April 22 seemed to be considered on equal basis with FNDD/Presidential camp proposal for Abdahllahi return, honorable exit of Junta, and national presidential and/or parliamentary elections. Worse still, the Europeans, Francophonie, Arab League, OIC, and AU participants appeared to have left the door open to continued mediation or intervention in Mauritanian affairs by AU President Muammar Qadhafi. ¶3. (C) After considerable multi-cell consultations with the FNDD Paris delegation, the Presidential camp, and fellow FNDD leaders in Mauritania, Abeidna made the following requests to the Charge: i. That the US publicly underline its support for a peaceful resolution, consonant with the Mauritanian constitution by endorsing the recent proposal by President Abdahllahi to return and step down in favor of a new round of independently organized presidential/parliamentary elections. If full endorsement not possible, noting it as a positive step forward would be welcomed as well. The FNDD also asked that the US endorse the February 5 call for targeted sanctions by the African Union peace and Security Council and indicate that it, too, would be developing a targeted sanctions process at the appropriate time. ii. Mr. Abeidna again repeated the FNDD's request that the US move swiftly to apply targeted sanctions against members of the Junta and especially against their supporters among the business community. The FNDD representatives present helpfully suggested specific names and companies. Charge demurred. ¶4. (C) After two weeks of solid action (Presidential proposal, massive public rally, large local gatherings),the FNDD's disappointment at the tepid tone of the Paris meeting is understandable. We assured President Abeidna that we would take his requests under consideration and relay them to the responsible authorities. We cautioned him and his colleagues that action would not be necessarily easy or immediate, particularly regarding sanctions. However, this Embassy does believe that action on these requests may be helpful to our overall policy objective of returning Mauritania to a democratic government and, perhaps, encouraging allies to take more active steps in their progress towards the same goal. WALSH