MAURITANIA: POLITICAL ROUNDUP FOR AUGUST 2009

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 000580

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM PREL MR SNAR
SUBJECT: MAURITANIA: POLITICAL ROUNDUP FOR AUGUST 2009

REF: A. NOUAKCHOTT 549

B. NOUAKCHOTT 386

C. NOUAKCHOTT 538

Classified By: CDA Dennis Hankins for reasons 1.4 (b and d)


1. (U) Summary: The month of August saw Mohamed Ould Abdel
Aziz, author of the August 6, 2008 coup d'etat, become the
legitimately elected President of Mauritania. Aziz also
received a visit from the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs
and traveled to Libya on his first official visit. Taqadoumy
journalist Hanevy Ould Deha's imprisonment and SOGECO's three
million dollar fine cast a shadow on Aziz's promise of a fair
and inclusive government. Two tons of hashish were seized, a
drug dealer was arrested and drug lord Eric Walter made
shocking accusations about drug-trafficking in Mauritania.
End summary.


2. (U) Aziz is inaugurated President: On August 5, almost
a year following the August 6, 2008 coup d'etat against
President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
was inaugurated President of Mauritania. Senegalese
President Abdoulaye Wade, Malian President Amadou Toumani
Toure and French Secretary of State for Cooperation Alain
Joyandet were among high-level guests at the ceremony, which
was boycotted by most of the opposition.


3. (C) "Passif humanitaire" victims divided over
settlement: In a public declaration following President
Aziz's inauguration ceremony, a dissident faction of the
victims' association COVIRE highlighted deficiencies in the
resolution of the passif humanitaire (the term used to
encompass the human rights legacy of the expulsion and
repression of Afro-Mauritanians in the late 80's and early
90's) and the need to re-define repatriation conditions for
those refugees remaining in Senegal. PolOff met on August 24
with COVIRE President Sy Abou, Secretary General Sidibe Abou,
and Widows' Committee representative Aissata Alassane Sarr,
who stated that the communique was published by a group that
had been expelled from the association and not by COVIRE.
They declared themselves satisfied with the settlement and
said they plan to continue working with President Aziz to
bring justice to the victims of the 1989 purges of
Afro-Mauritanians.


4. (U) Iran-Mauritania relations: On August 13, Iranian
Minister of Foreign Affairs Manouchehr Mottaki arrived in
Nouakchott for a two-day working visit. According to
Mottaki, the Iranian Red Crescent will soon build a hospital
in Mauritania. He indicated that the construction of this
new hospital is motivated by Aziz's and Ahmadinejad's desire
for stronger bilateral ties, particularly in the fields of
medicine and education.


5. (U) Regional counter-terrorism meeting: On August 12,
Army Chiefs of Staffs from Algeria, Mali, Mauritania and
Niger agreed on a strategy to coordinate the fight against
terrorism in the Sahara. The Ministry of Defense stated in a
communique that the meeting "aimed at reinforcing military
and security cooperation."


6. (U) Military appointments: On August 18, General
Mohamed Ould Meguett was appointed Director General of
External Security and Hanena Ould Sidi was appointed
Inspector General of the Armed Forces and of Security.


7. (U) AQIM claims responsibility for attack: Al Qaeda in
the Islamic Maghreb issued a statement claiming its
responsibility for the suicide bomber attack on August 8
against the French Embassy in Nouakchott. The statement
explained that this terrorist act was directed against "the
French crusaders who constantly hurt Muslims around the
world" and is also a message addressed to the "dictator Aziz,
who continues to attack and imprison young Muslims in the
Islamic land."


8. (U) Taqadoumy journalist convicted: On August 19,
journalist and Taqadoumy Director Havevy Ould Deha was
sentenced to six months in prison for opening a forum
allowing the publication of opinions contrary to Islam and
common decency (Ref A).


9. (C) A politically motivated fine?: The authorities
presented Mauritanian company SOGECO, owned by the family of
opposition leader and FNDD rotating President Abdel Koudouss
Abeidna, with a fine for over three million USD. SOGECO is
accused of transporting damaged Pakistani rice into

NOUAKCHOTT 00000580 002 OF 002


Mauritania. Abeidna told PolOff that SOGECO provided the
containers in which the rice, a donation from the Pakistani
government, was transported but that normally the company
should not be held liable for the quality of the goods stored
in its containers. Many, including Abeidna - a SOGECO board
member - believe the fine is politically motivated -- payback
for Abeidna's role in opposing the August 6, 2008 coup d'etat
and his refusal to accept Aziz's July 18 victory. SOGECO has
not paid the fine.


10. (U) Revelations of a drug lord: On August 19, alleged
drug-trafficker Eric Walter - currently under arrest in
Mauritania -- admitted to managing a drug-trafficking network
spanning from South America to Europe, via Mauritania.
Walter talked about activities he carried out in support of
the network including laundering large sums of money,
building an airstrip in the desert for small aircraft, and
distributing drugs through Nouakchott's Moroccan vegetable
market. Walter identified Mauritanian citizens Mini Ould
Soudani and former Interpol agent Sid'Ahmed Ould Taya as the
individuals who helped him establish the network (Ref B).


11. (U) Drug-trafficking scandal continued: In August,
Senegalese security services arrested Walter's right hand
man, Seydou Kane, a fugitive since 2007. Kane faces
extradition to Mauritania to be judged for attempting to
murder drug network member Mini Ould Soudani as part of a
drug-related retribution scandal.


12. (U) More appointments: Bal Amadou Tidiane, Minister of
Justice during the Transitional Government of National Unity,
was appointed President of the Supreme Court on August 23.
Tidiane is an Afro Mauritanian lawyer from Kaedi. He was
president of the High Authority of the Press and Audiovisual
(HAPA) from 2005-2007. Taleb Ould Abdi Vall was appointed
Director General of SNIM. Vall was director general of
Somelec in the post-coup period. Sid'Ahmed Ould Raiss,
Finance Minister in the post-coup period, was nominated
Governor of the Central Bank on August 14. These
appointments follow the designation of President Aziz's new
cabinet on August 11 (Ref C).


13. (U) Aziz travels to Libya: President Aziz arrived in
Tripoli on August 30 to attend the special African Union
summit on conflict in Africa and the fortieth anniversary of
Libya's September First Revolution. This is President Aziz's
first international visit since his inauguration. Mauritania
and Libya have signed cooperation agreements in many fields,
including cultural and commercial. On the economic front,
both countries agreed to the need for increased Libyan
investments. Furthermore, Libya has decided to exempt
Mauritania from paying interest on loans signed since July
18, 1973. Both countries are looking into developing
cooperation in fishing and promoting small and medium
businesses.


14. (U) Coup d'etat against Boulkheir: On August 26, press
published reports stating that the parliamentary majority had
devised a strategy to depose National Assembly President
Messaoud Ould Boulkheir. Allegedly, President Aziz intends
to call the National Assembly for an ordinary session.
Boulkehir's absence would allow the majority deputies to ask
the Constitutional Council to declare his position vacant,
which would open the door to elections to fill the vacancy.
Boulkheir has remained quiet since the election and it
remains unclear what strategy he has relative to the opening
of parliament.


15. (U) The press protests: On September 1, The
Association of Independent Press of Mauritania protested
against "interference of the Ministry of Communications in
the appointment procedures of representatives" for the press
delegation accompanying President Aziz to Libya.
Traditionally, the Association --and not the ministry --
appoints journalists who travel with the president. The
ministry declined to share which criteria it used to appoint
the journalists.


16. (U) Nouadhibou drug seizure: On August 27, Mauritanian
gendarmes arrested Moroccan citizen Mohamed Ali Khreibich for
transporting two tons of hashish. The drug, which was
divided in packages of 25 kilograms, was transported in a
truck carrying onions and potatoes from Morocco.



HANKINS