VZCZCXRO5738
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHMOS RUEHPA
DE RUEHNK #0583/01 1360759
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 160759Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5490
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 0551
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0301
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 1817
RUEHBAD/AMCONSUL PERTH 0265
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 000583 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/W; AF/EPS (S. BRUNDAGE, A. ADLER J. HAENI); 
EB/CBA (D. WINSTEAD) 
USDOC FOR 4510/MAC/OA/PMICHELINI/HVINEYARD 
3131/CS/ANESA/OIO/RD/DHARRIS/GLITMAN/MSTAUNTO N 
DAKAR FOR RSCO CGRIFFIN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2016 
TAGS: ECON EFIN EINV MR
SUBJECT: MAURITANIAN-EU FISHING NEGOTIATIONS STALLED 
 
 
Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR JOSEPH LEBARON, REASON 1.4 (B), 
 (D) 
 
-------------- 
(U) Key Points 
-------------- 
 
-- Mauritanian-European Union fish agreement negotiations are 
stalled as the two sides were unable to agree on a figure. 
 
-- If no new agreement is signed by the time the present 
agreement expires in July, Spain and other EU members will be 
allowed to pursue bilateral agreements. 
 
----------- 
(C) Comment 
----------- 
 
--  Spain's desire to maintain its fishing rights, as well as 
its desire to stem the flow of immigrants, has made Spain 
somewhat beholden to the transitional government.  As a 
result, the Spanish have been muted in any criticism of the 
government's handling of the census and other matters, 
preferring to allow the EU to take the lead. 
 
End Key Points and Comment. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
Mauritanian-EU Fish Agreement Renewal Still Blocked 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶1. (U) No agreement has yet been reached in negotiations 
between Mauritania and the European Union for renewing its 
fish agreement.  The two parties have been in negotiations 
since the beginning of this year in both Brussels and 
Nouakchott.  The last meeting, held last week, ended without 
neither a resolution nor another planned meeting.  There are 
indications that the Ministry of Fisheries may send a 
delegation to Brussels to continue discussion of the 
financial issue of the new agreement (they already agreed on 
the technical aspect of this agreement). 
 
¶2. (U) The current five-year fish agreement between 
Mauritania and the European Union will expire on July 31, 
2006 at midnight. Some countries, such as China, have started 
negotiating with Mauritania for short-term fish agreements. 
If the EU negotiations do not result in an agreement, some EU 
countries, such as Spain and Portugal, could negotiate 
separately with Mauritania for short-period contracts (one 
year renewable).  But these negotiations could only be 
possible after the end of the current agreement. 
 
¶3. (U) The current agreement allows about 140 trawlers to 
operate freely in Mauritanian waters against a compensation 
amounting 430 million euros.  The Mauritanians consider this 
too low considering the quantities the EU trawlers are 
catching in Mauritanian waters.  Mauritanian fish authorities 
are not interested in another long-term agreement and wish to 
follow the Moroccan strategy to protect the over-caught 
species from the EU fleet. 
 
¶4. (U) Mauritanian officials tell the Embassy that Mauritania 
continues to consider the EU as its potential customer for 
fish products but seeing the foreseen revenues from the oil, 
the government is being more intransigent in its position by 
requiring that the EU fleet declare all their catches and 
part of the catches be unloaded in Mauritanian territory. 
The Government intends to limit the exportation of fresh and 
frozen fish and requires its processing in Mauritania to 
create an employment and input the added value.  According to 
the National Fishing Federation, the present obstacle has 
nothing to see with the fish processing locally but with the 
increasing of the fishing agreement fees. 
 
¶5. (C) A Spanish embassy official confirmed to us that the 
breakdown of negotiations was the result of the two parties 
being unable to reach a common figure, and that Spain will 
pursue a bilateral agreement if the EU and Mauritania do not 
reach a deal. 
 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00000583  002 OF 002 
 
 
LeBaron 
LeBaron