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

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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"

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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


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.



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PEKALA