VZCZCXRO6444
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHMOS RUEHPA
DE RUEHNK #0291/01 0720909
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 130909Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5254
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0202
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0233
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 0388
RUEHBAD/AMCONSUL PERTH 0197
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0145

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NOUAKCHOTT 000291 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PINR EAID KPAO MR
SUBJECT: YOUTH EVENT REVEALS A PASSIONATE BUT ILL-INFORMED 
MAURITANIAN YOUTH 
 
 
Classified By: Amb. Joseph LeBaron, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) 
 
-------------- 
(C) Key Points 
-------------- 
 
-- More than 700 people attended an NDI-sponsored Youth Day 
which focused on increasing the role of Mauritania's youth in 
the transition to democracy. The Ambassador opened the event 
with remarks in classical Arabic. 
 
-- Over 200 youth spoke in what National Democratic Institute 
(NDI) Political Party Program Director Eric Duhaime described 
as a "mix of pro and anti-Western views" that were "more 
moderate" than he had expected. 
 
-- "In what other Arab country will you have a group of 
university students applauding the US Ambassador," he asked. 
 
-- On March 29 NDI will officially open its office and 
Political Party Resource Center, which will be available to 
political parties with computers, internet, a campaign 
library and printers for flyer and poster production. 
 
-- Duhaime said he believes the U.N. was doing "a poorjob 
with the census," and didn't believe the cenus or voter 
lists would  meet international standrds. 
 
------------ 
(C) Comments 
------------ 
 
-- Taya's former ruling party the PRDR (formerlythe PRDS) 
did not attend.  While PRDR retains th most developed party 
structure and has more mony than the other parties combined, 
they continueto lose members and fade in relevance. 
 
-- The U has said that it will leave Mauritania if the vote 
lists are not found to meet international standrds.  If this 
were to happen -- which it could - it would throw the entire 
transition process of course. 
 
-- Embassy will continue to push the lvers it has here to 
get voter lists that meet intrnational standards. 
 
End Key Points and Comment. 
 
¶1. (U) Local National Democratic Institute (NI) Political 
Party Prrogram Director Eric Duhaimeb"riefed Ambassador on 
NDI's highly successful "Yuuth Day" which the Ambassador 
opened with remarks in classical Arabic.  The ten-hour 
program held a rch 8 and attended by over 700 students, youth 
rroups, political parties and government Ministers,f"ocused 
on increasing the role of Mauritania's yuuth in the 
transition to democracy. 
 
--------- 
YOUTH DAY 
--------- 
 
** CC  uuaamm  eecciied the mood throughout the ay asQ""l(ctric" adding that "this event was the irst time many of 
these young people had had a ral opportunity to publicly 
express themselves." He went on to describe how" people often 
"rushed he stage" for an opportunity to speak and that "at 
times we really needed all 30 of our security peronnel to 
maintain order." 
 
¶3. (C) Over 200 youh spoke in what Duhaime described as a 
"mix of po and anti-Western* views" that were "more moderateQ 
than he had expected.  "In what other Arab counrry will you 
have a group of university students applauding the US 
Ambassador," Duhaime asked, addig" that "there were a few 
radicals, but on the whlle, the views were balanced." 
 
¶4. (C) According o* Duhaime, the event was the first time 
student sssociations were permitted to participate in an 
official capacity in a government-attended event.  Su dent 
associations are not recognized by the Mauiitanian 
government, and have been prohibited fro  official 
participation in past youth and education events.  Duhaime 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00000291  002 OF 003 
 
 
said their participation was reluctantly approved by the 
Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Naji 
Ould Mohamed Mahmoud only after Duhaime "insisted on the 
significance of their involvement." 
 
¶5. (C) "The quality of reflection was uneven," Duhaime said, 
explaining that "while some views were focused and 
well-articulated, many others were jumbled and nonsensical." 
He explained how many participants grouped the US with all 
other Western countries, including on issues such as the 
recent caricatures of Mohamed which appeared in several 
non-US newspapers.  This example was then expanded on by 
another speaker as an example of why "US free speech and 
Democracy don't work in the Arab world."  Duhaime proposed 
that it was likely the youth's "ignorance of the outside 
world" that led to the confusion and over simplification, 
rather than "a deep-seated anti-American sentiment." 
 
¶6. (C) Duhaime reported "a strong ethnic tension" among 
participants.  "The census is registering black Africans that 
are not Mauritanian citizens," one speaker said, adding that 
this would harm Mauritania's "racial balance."  Earlier, a 
White Moor speaker was rebuked by Afro-Mauritanian 
participants after suggesting that the day's discussions be 
conducted solely in Hassaniyya Arabic, which is not spoken by 
many Afro-Mauritanians.  Other discussions related to the 
racial violence of the late 80s and early 90s with Moors 
saying the country should "turn the page on the events" and 
Afro-Mauritanians insisting that "the events must be 
officially acknowledged and addressed." 
 
¶7. (C) While the event was well attended by Mauritania's 
leading political parties, Taya's former ruling party the 
PRDR (formerly the PRDS) did not attend.  Duhaime 
hypothesized that the party was afraid of being "attacked by 
the students who were strongly critical of the old 
powerbase."  While PRDR retains the most developed party 
structure and has more money than the other parties combined, 
they continue to loose members and fade in relevance. 
 
¶8. (C) Duhaime said the attendees were largely negative in 
reaction to the Constitutional Referendum scheduled for June 
24, "focusing on what was missing and what needed to be 
added, rather than looking at the proposed positive changes." 
 
-------------------- 
OTHER NDI ACTIVITIES 
-------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) NDI will hold three additional Youth Days similar to 
the Nouakchott event.  These events will take place March 18 
in Nouadhibou, March 25 in Kaedi, and April 1 in Kiffa. 
 
¶10. (U) On March 29 NDI will officially open its office and 
Political Party Resource Center, which will be available to 
political parties with computers, internet, a campaign 
library and printers for making flyers. 
 
¶11. (U) Additionally, Douhaime will head a training mission 
to Mali, Senegal and Niger with nine political party leaders 
March 19-26 to meet political party counterparts and election 
officials to help political parties better understand their 
roles and responsibilities in the run-up to elections. 
 
----------------------------- 
DUHAIME'S VIEWS ON THE CENSUS 
----------------------------- 
 
¶12. (C) Duhaime said he believes the U.N. is "doing a poor 
job with the census," adding that "they defend the work they 
are doing with the government, but if you dig just below the 
surface, things don't look good."  He said he didn't believe 
the census or voter lists would meet international standards, 
and asked "what will the UN do at that point?  They've said 
they will leave, but can they? And what about the six million 
euros the E.U. has given?  Will they still support the 
process without the UN's involvement?" 
 
¶13. (C) Ambassador urged Duhaime to continue working 
collaboratively with the UN and to keep him apprised of NDI's 
activities and ways the USG could assist with their effort. 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00000291  003 OF 003 
 
 
Ambassador said he and other members of the U.S. Embassy 
would continue pushing their contacts on the commission and 
throughout the transitional government for a successful 
census and voter lists. 
LeBaron