DELAYS OBTAINING MAURITANIAN VISAS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 000221

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2019
TAGS: OTRA PGOV PREL CVIS MR
SUBJECT: DELAYS OBTAINING MAURITANIAN VISAS

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Dennis Hankins for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (C) Summary: The military junta is delaying issuance of
visas to American and European citizens. There have been no
reports of visa applications actually being denied, but in
many cases the delays have lasted well over a month. All
visa applications made at Mauritanian embassies in the United
States and European countries must now be submitted to the
MFA for approval. There are no indications that the delays
are due to heightened security concerns. The French, German
and Spanish consuls in Mauritania speculate that the delays
are in retaliation for actions taken by their governments
since the coup such as the implementation of a ten day
consultation period before Schengen visas can be issued to
Mauritanians. The junta may be retaliating against Americans
because the USG prudentially revoked three visas since the
coup, including one held by General Aziz. However, post
continues to issue visas in the same timeframe as it did
before the coup in almost all cases. The junta may also be
trying to prevent
Western journalists and human rights activists from coming
to Mauritania that might portray the junta in a bad light.
Post recommends that all official visitors request
Mauritanian visas well in advance of their planned dates of
travel. Post can still obtain airport visas for visitors
when necessary, but prefers to minimize contact with host
government officials to the extent possible given the current
political situation. End Summary.


2. (SBU) The military junta is delaying issuance of visas to
American and European citizens. Initially, the delays
appeared only to effect private citizens. Official and
diplomatic visas were still being delivered in a timely
manner, normally less than a week. The High State Council
(HSC) now appears to be delaying delivery of diplomatic and
official visas too. Before the coup, each Mauritanian
embassy abroad was able to issue visas independently without
consulting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Now, certain
Mauritanian embassies, specifically those in the United
States and Europe, must submit all visa requests to the MFA
to obtain its authorization before issuing the visa.


3. (SBU) Post has received reports from both official and
private Americans that they have experienced significant
delays in obtaining Mauritanian visas. The consuls from all
three European embassies in Mauritania (France, Germany and
Spain) told ConOff that both private and official visitors
from the EU were also having difficulty obtaining Mauritanian
visas. While there are no reports of any visa requests
actually being refused, the delays are becoming more onerous.
Prior to the coup it was normally possible to obtain a
Mauritanian visa in less than a week, but it now takes
several weeks and in many cases well over a month. The dates
of travel indicated on the visa application form do not
appear to have any effect on when the visa is issued. In
many cases, visitors have had to rearrange travel plans
because they were not able to obtain the visa by their
planned date of travel. In contrast to the difficulties that
Americans and Europeans are having in obtaining visas,
diplomats from other Arab countries with representation in
Mauritania told ConOff that their citizens continue to be
able to obtain Mauritanian visas without delay.


4. (C) The reasons for the increasing delays are unclear.
There are no indications that the move to centralize visa
issuance at the MFA is due to heightened security concerns.
Citizens from ECOWAS countries continue to be able to enter
Mauritania without a visa. Citizens from other Arab
countries, whom one might expect to pose the greatest
concerns about security and terrorism, continue to receive
visas without delay. The MFA is not known to have any sort
of name checking system that it uses before issuing visas.


5. (C) The European consuls suspect that the delays are
retaliation on the part of the junta against their own visa
issuance policies since the coup. Prior to the coup, the
French, Germany and Spanish embassies were normally able to
issue Schengen visas to Mauritanian citizens within a day of
receiving the application. Since the coup, German Consul
Hans Lamprecht said that the Government of Germany has put
Mauritania on its "consultation list," meaning that all
Mauritanian requests for Schengen visas must be approved by
an interagency process in the German government. The result
has been a 10 day delay for the issuance of Schengen visas to
Mauritanian citizens. The junta may also be retaliating
against the United States for the travel restrictions that
the USG placed on members of the HSC, junta-appointed
government, and other Mauritanians impeding the return to
constitutionality. To date, the USG has prudentially revoked
three visas issued to Mauritanians, including General Aziz.

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However, in almost all other cases, post has continued to
issue visas in the same timeframe that it did prior to the
coup. There have only been a few visa requests from coup
supporters where issuance has been delayed pending Department
approval. In addition, there have been several questionnable
G-3 and A-2 visa applications for support staff that are
currently pending advisory opinions from the Department.
This has been a long standing problem with the Mauritanian
missions in the United States, but one that was largely
brought under control during Ambassador Dia's tenure. Now
that Dia has effectively been pushed out of the Embassy, the
problems have resumed.


6. (SBU) A Mauritanian anti-coup media outlet suggested that
the junta is concerned about Western journalists and human
rights activists visiting Mauritania who might portray the
junta in a poor light. As a result, the junta may be trying
to implement a vetting process to identify such visitors.
The most significant delays have occurred since the December
2008 release of a report on torture in Mauritania by Amnesty
International and a visit by a New York Times correspondent
who was briefly detained by police during his visit.
However, it is not certain if the two events demonstrate
causality or are merely coincidence.


7. (SBU) Post recommends that all official visitors request
visas well in advance of their planned travel to ensure that
they will be able to arrive on time. Post has already had
several visitors who have had to reschedule their visits
because they were not able to obtain visas in time. Post is
still able to obtain airport visas for visitors in a timely
manner and European embassies report that a phone call to the
protocol office at the MFA usually ensures that a visa is
issued in time. However, post is trying to minimize contact
with Mauritanian authorities to the extent possible given the
current political situation. As a result, post can obtain
airport visas for official visitors when necessary but
prefers to limit this practice as much as possible.

HANKINS