MAURITANIA: FRENCH SEE ABDALLAHI AS OBSTACLE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000815 NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2019 TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PINR PTER MR FR SUBJECT: MAURITANIA: FRENCH SEE ABDALLAHI AS OBSTACLE REF: A. NOUAKCHOTT 398 AND PREVIOUS ¶B. HANKINS JUNE 18 E-MAIL Classified By: Political Counselor Andrew Young, 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (C/NF) SUMMARY: Presidential AF-advisor Romain Serman on June 18 said that deposed Mauritanian President Abdallahi seemed to be blocking final political agreement over the Dakar accord. France was prepared to call a "stop" to the process and urge that the Dakar accord be implemented as is, with or without Abdallahi's agreement or participation, which could encourage cooperation on Abdallahi's part. Serman said that junta leader Aziz visited Paris "privately" on June 12 and met with Presidential Secretary-General Claude Gueant, with discussion focusing on terrorism. Serman said that President Sarkozy planned soon on chairing a high-level GOF meeting on terrorism in the Sahel, which indicated the level of French concern about terrorism in the region. Serman criticized businessman/lobbyist Robert Bourgi for his role in arranging Aziz's meeting with Gueant and for several press leaks involving Aziz and the late President Bongo of Gabon. Serman said that Bourgi should not be viewed in any manner as a representative or spokesman for the GOF, including with respect to his most recent activities in Madagascar to promote himself and his business interests. END SUMMARY. MAURITANIA XXXXXXXXXXXX AZIZ'S VISIT TO PARIS ¶5. (C) Serman confirmed press reports that junta leader Aziz traveled to Paris and met with Presidential Secretary-General Claude Gueant on June 12. Serman said the visit was engineered by businessman and self-styled AF lobbyist Robert Bourgi, who had ties to Gueant and to President Sarkozy pre-dating Sarkozy's election to the presidency (see below for further on Bourgi). Bourgi encouraged Aziz to make a "private" visit, flew Aziz to France on one of his own planes, and arranged the meeting with Gueant. Serman, who did not attend the Aziz-Gueant meeting, understood that it consisted largely of a discussion of the growing terrorism problem in the Sahel, a subject of keen interest to Gueant. Serman said that they "undoubtedly" PARIS 00000815 002 OF 002 discussed the situation in Mauritania but he could offer no details. FRENCH CONCERN ABOUT TERRORISM IN THE SAHEL ¶6. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX (C/NF) ROBERT BOURGI �0A;¶7. (C/NF) Serman's mention of Bourgi allowed us to ask about his role and influence, a subject of episodic reporting in the press, where Bourgi is depicted as one of the last "France-Afrique" fixers, middlemen, operators, and businessmen. Serman said that Bourgi had longstanding ties to Gueant and Sarkozy but that he was first and foremost a self-promoting businessman looking out for his own interests. A true wheeler-dealer, Bourgi's main "client" had been Gabon's recently-deceased President Bongo. Bourgi also had ties to ROC's Sassou Nguesso and to Senegal's Wade, although these were less significant than his ties to Bongo. ¶8. (C/NF) Serman said that Bourgi was rapidly burning his bridges, however, and this was causing his influence to drop precipitously among the French and Africans as well. Bourgi was the source of the press leak announcing Bongo's death before the Gabonese were prepared to make the announcement themselves. This leak angered Bongo's family. Serman reported that Sarkozy was also unhappy about the leak, especially since the information was attributed in the press to "a source close to the French government," which tended to make observers think that the GOF was responsible for the leak or tacitly approved of it, which was not the case. ¶9. (C/NF) The French were also annoyed that Bourgi leaked the fact of Aziz's meeting with Gueant to the press. Aziz's visit to France was supposed to be private, as was his meeting with Gueant. In Serman's view, Bourgi leaked news of the event in an effort to demonstrate his continuing clout after the Bongo episode. Serman said this was backfiring, however, as the French, including especially Sarkozy and Gueant, were not at all pleased with the leak. Serman said that Bourgi "is no fool, but sometimes it seems he can't help himself when there's an opportunity for self-promotion, even if he knows it might cost him." ¶10. (C/NF) Although Madagascar was not his area of expertise, Serman was aware of Bourgi's attempts to play a "fixer" role there amidst the current political turmoil, "which gives him an opportunity to place himself in the thick of things.". Serman said that Bourgi was eager to score new business in response to the potential loss of the Gabon account and his alienation of the Bongo clan. Serman said that Bourgi also had new rivals for influence, with the opening up of the old "France-Afrique" network that Sarkozy has encouraged since taking office; this too was causing Bourgi to scramble for new business. Speaking with emphasis, Serman said that "you should be aware that in Madagascar and everywhere else he is active, Bourgi does not represent the French government and does not speak for us. And you should tell everybody else that too." ¶11. (C/NF) Serman concluded by noting that Bourgi often used "La Lettre du Continent," the bi-weekly, Paris-based newsletter covering principally francophone Africa, as the vehicle for his news leaks. Serman advised that anything appearing in "La Lettre" smacking of a possible Bourgi connection should be read with caution, and that one should keep in mind that Bourgi's primary objective was self-promotion for the purpose of self-enrichment. . PEKALA