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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 NOUAKCHOTT 000152 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/14/2016 
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV PHUM PINR EAID MR
SUBJECT: HIGH-LEVEL US DELEGATION DISCUSSES DEMOCRACY AND 
COUNTERTERRORISM -- DELEGATION'S MEETINGS WITH POLITICAL 
PARTIES AND CIVIL SOCIETY 
 
Classified By: Amb. Joseph LeBaron, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) 
 
---------------------------- 
(C) Key Points, with Comment 
---------------------------- 
 
-- This cable covers the meetings the high-level delegation 
led by AF PDAS Pittman had with political party, civil 
society, religious, and press representatives during a busy 
three-day visit to Mauritania February 7-9. (Please see 
septel for the delegation's meetings with government 
officials.) 
 
-- Political party leaders told the delegation that the 
government and electoral commission have not sufficiently 
included them in the election planning process.  The party 
leaders want a regular forum for consultations with the 
government.  (However, they rejected a recent government 
request that the parties establish a 9-10 member group to 
represent all 32 parties in consultations with the government 
on the electoral process.) 
 
-- The leaders denounced Mauritanian civil society as little 
more than "institutions created to receive international aid" 
(which is largely true here), adding that "political action 
is the monopoly of political parties, not independents or 
civil society" (which is an opinion far from universally 
shared here). 
 
-- Later, UN System Coordinator Cecile Molinier told the 
delegation over dinner that "the Mauritanian authorities have 
taken every step necessary to leave power at the end of the 
transition process," an assessment that, on the whole, the 
Embassy shares. 
 
-- The UN, which is currently training census workers on how 
to properly conduct the census, has run into several 
problems, including antiquated maps...and tight timelines, UN 
reps told the delegation. 
 
-- Mauritania's public and private press associations say 
they are enjoying greater press freedom following the coup. 
The Embassy agrees. 
 
------------ 
(C) Comments 
------------ 
 
-- The proper conduct of the census and the subsequent 
creation of a new voter list are key to Mauritania's 
successful transition to democracy. 
 
-- All later actions, every referendum and election, hinge on 
an accurate voter list.  The UN is right to focus intensely 
on the census and voter list.  They are crucial. 
 
-- And the Mauritanians have already stumbled out of the 
gate.  They had to postpone the start date for the census by 
two weeks because the transitional government and electoral 
commission weren't ready.  Sticking to the timeline is 
already proving difficult. 
 
End Key Points and Comments. 
 
¶1. (U) During a three-day visit to Mauritania February 7-9, 
an eight-member interagency delegation headed by AF PDAS 
Bobby Pittman and including members from S/CT, DRL, AF, NSC, 
OSD and USAID met with political party and civil society 
representatives to assess Mauritania's transition to 
democracy. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
POLITICAL PARTIES WANT A SEAT AT THE TABLE 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (C) The delegation met with Mauritania's 31 recognized 
political parties over two days to discuss parties' roles and 
concerns regarding elections.  Parties continued to voice 
suspicion about the US role in the IMF's decision to forego 
Mauritanian debt relief and expressed anger towards the 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00000152  002 OF 004 
 
 
decision to remove Mauritania from the African Growth and 
Opportunity Act.  "The US has made problems against 
Mauritania," Social Democratic Union President Isselmou Ould 
Hanefi said, asking "is this action against the Mauritanian 
government or the Mauritanian people?"  Despite Pittman's 
repeated efforts to explain that the IMF decision was based 
on failures in transparency and performance and was not a 
political decision stemming from the coup, widespread 
suspicion remained. 
 
¶3. (C) Political party leaders strongly believed that the 
government and electoral commission needed to establish a 
regular forum for consultations with the parties during the 
run-up to elections.  "The government met with us when they 
were selecting the electoral commission members, but the 
commission did not consult with us when they were selecting 
their regional representatives," SAWAB President Cheik Ould 
Sidi Ould Hanena said, adding that "there is essentially no 
relationship between the political parties and the electoral 
commission."  National Union for Democracy and Development 
President Koita Tidjane added "we deplore the government's -- 
and commission's -- practice of not communicating with us or 
involving us in their discussions."  "Without a regular 
process of consultations with political parties, nothing will 
be to our satisfaction," Union for Democracy and Progress 
President Naha Mint Mouknass said. 
 
¶4. (C) In a passionate response to DRL DAS Krilla's question 
about cooperation between political parties and civil 
society, Popular Progressive Alliance President Messaoud Ould 
Boulkheir said "civil society should be non-political...and 
when we see it trying to be political that is wrong and we 
will fight against it and destroy it."  Boulkheir's sentiment 
was shared by many other party representatives who added that 
"political action is the monopoly of political parties, not 
independents or civil society," and "he who wants to be 
engaged in political action must join or create a political 
party."  Party members went on to say that the vast majority 
of Mauritania's civil society organizations are little more 
than "institutions created to receive aid." 
 
------------------------------------- 
CIVIL SOCIETY ASKS FOR USG ASSISTANCE 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) In a meeting with civil society representatives, 
attendees expressed the strong need for political, technical, 
and financial support from the USG.  While the groups 
appeared to be pleased with the transitional government's 
engagement with civil society, they were adamant that 
Mauritania lacked the resources and know-how to carry out a 
successful transition.  "The task of transition is not easy, 
and there are no guarantees," international development NGO 
representative Jamil Khan said.  Attendees also noted the 
transitional government's lack of "confidence and 
capabilities" to effectively conduct the census and voter 
registration. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
UN EXPERT SEES MANY CHALLANGES IN CENSUS 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Delegates met with local UN Head of Mission Cecile 
Molinier, UN Principal Technical Advisor Mathieu Bile, UN 
Census Expert Clement Aganahi, UN Electoral Training Expert 
Christine MacCallum, as well as National Democratic Institute 
(NDI) representative Eric Duhaime.  Molinier said "the 
Mauritanian authorities have taken every step necessary to 
leave power at the end of the transition process."  She said 
the EU and UN were currently developing a memorandum of 
understanding with the Mauritanians for a basket fund to pay 
for the election effort.  "The fund would be controlled by 
UNDP...and we expect that of the estimated 20 million USD 
cost for elections we can raise between 8 - 12 million USD, 
leaving the Mauritanians to pay the remainder," she said. 
 
¶7. (C) Aganahi, who days earlier began assisting the 
transitional government and electoral commission with 
preparations for the census, said "we are currently training 
census workers on how to properly conduct the census, but we 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00000152  003 OF 004 
 
 
have run into several problems, including antiquated 
maps...and tight timelines."  Aganahi said he did not 
believed it would be possible for census workers to properly 
account for all Mauritanians in one month through a 
door-to-door approach, "many people will not be home, and 
census workers will have to return multiple times to get an 
accurate count," he said, adding that "the government has 
added a 15 day registration period at the end of the process 
to allow those who were not registered to go to regional 
offices and be processed." 
 
¶8. (C) According to Ministry of the Interior estimates, there 
are currently 1,380,000 eligible Mauritanian voters with 
National ID cards, and between 150,000 and 200,000 eligible 
voters without them.  As the government has required National 
ID cards to register, they have opened 66 regional offices to 
accelerate the issuance process.  According to Molinier, "you 
need only show your birth certificate to receive a National 
ID card...but if you don't have a birth certificate, no one 
seems to know how you can get one."  (Embassy Note: This 
issue is particularly important for the Afro-Mauritanian 
community which constitutes a majority of those eligible 
voters without National ID cards or in many case birth 
certificates.  End Note.) 
 
-------------------------- 
PRESS FREEDOMS ON THE RISE 
-------------------------- 
 
¶9. (C) In a meeting with members of Mauritania's public and 
private press associations, attendees discussed increased 
press freedoms following the coup, and the responsibilities 
of an independent press.  "The coup has opened the press and 
the press has more freedom and impact than political 
parties," CRED representative Abderrahmane Ould Horma said. 
 
¶10. (C) Attendees discussed the newly-formed Press Reform 
Commission which is currently investigating further press 
liberalization, with a report due to the transitional 
government March 31.  The objectives of the commission are to 
propose laws and best practices to allow for a credible, 
self-regulated press.  Attendees discussed a need for 
training and a "professionalization" of the Mauritanian 
press.  Representatives said the U.S. press served as a role 
model, and they thanked the U.S. press for not having 
published the recent cartoons depicting the Prophet in a 
negative manner. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
IMAMS: TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT HAS HONORED ITS COMMITTMENTS 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶11. (C) During a meeting with some of the most prominent 
religious figures in Mauritania, imams shared the view that 
the Military Council and transitional government "had honored 
their commitments" so far, and that they should be allowed to 
finish their efforts toward democratization.  This was 
reinforced with subtle suggestions that diplomacy and 
political cooperation between the USG and Mauritania provided 
a better guarantee of success than the use of force.  The 
imams noted that since the coup, the Mauritanian people had 
gained confidence in the Military Council and looked forward 
to elections. 
 
¶12. (C) In terms of recommendations on combating terrorism, 
the imams said the USG can play a pivotal role in addressing 
cultural misunderstandings by encouraging US-Mauritania 
exchanges.  Imam Hamden Tah seized on this point to note that 
exchanges between religious groups such as the Oulema would 
"build bridges of understanding" between Western and Muslim 
communities.  As a final note, the imams emphasized the 
importance of education as a key to countering extremist 
teachings. 
 
------------------------------ 
BUSINESS COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE 
------------------------------ 
 
¶13. (C) The delegation had a luncheon with representatives 
from the Mauritanian business community representing the 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00000152  004 OF 004 
 
 
fishing, transportation, shipping and insurance sectors. 
This provided delegates an opportunity to individually 
discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by businessmen 
in Mauritania. 
 
¶14. (U) This cable was prepared after the departure of the 
delegation.  The delegation has not cleared the text. 
LeBaron