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RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANJUL 000439 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/12/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KMCA UNSC GA IR VE GT
SUBJECT: THE GAMBIA: REACHING OUT TO VENEZUELA, IRAN 
 
REF: A. STATE 101248 
     ¶B. BANJUL 386 ET AL 
     ¶C. BANJUL 396 (ALL NOTAL) 
 
BANJUL 00000439  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOSEPH STAFFORD, REASON 1.4 (B AND D) 
 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
 
¶1. (C)  Prominent journalist and Embassy contact portrayed 
President Jammeh's invitation to Venezuelan and Iranian 
leaders to recent African Union Summit here as a swipe at the 
U.S. following the suspension of The Gambia's MCA 
eligibility. According to our source, Chavez actively lobbied 
Summit delegations on behalf of Venezuela's UNSC candidacy, 
offering oil-related economic blandishments in return for 
votes. Jammeh's reaching out to Venezuela and Iran -- two 
countries with which The Gambia has had minimal ties in 
recent years -- serves as a troubling reminder of his 
capacity for erratic, impulsive behavior.  END SUMMARY. 
 
PRESIDENT JAMMEH'S ANGRY REACTION 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) In July 12 discussion with Ambassador, prominent 
journalist (editor-in-chief of local daily, "The Point" and 
veteran Reuters stringer), Pap Saine, asserted that "without 
doubt" President Yahya Jammeh had invited the Venezuelan and 
Iranian leaders to the July 1-2 African Union  Summit here in 
angry reaction to the recent suspension of The Gambia's 
elibility for the Millenium Challenge Account (MCA) program 
(refs a and b).   Saine expressed certainty that the 
invitations to the two leaders were Jammeh's personal 
initiative, not that of the AU leadership.   Citing sources 
in the GOTG as well as the Venezuelan and Iranian Summit 
delegations, he said that, Jammeh, in separate side meetings 
with Chavez and Ahmadinejad, had made clear his resentment at 
the U.S.over the MCA suspension. 
 
¶3. (C) Jammeh reportedly told the pair that he wanted to 
strengthen ties with Venezuela and Iran, stating that he was 
reaching out to them as "friends" who, unlike the U.S., did 
not "impose conditions" on their cooperation with The Gambia. 
  According to Saine, Jammeh accepted Ahmadinejad's 
invitation to visit Tehran, adding that the visit would 
likely occur within the next few months. Saine  said Jammeh 
made a pitch to both visitors for assistance to help cover 
the costs of the national (Presidential and National 
Assembly) elections scheduled here in September 2006 and 
January 2007; Saine did not know how Chavez and Ahmadinejad 
had responded to the request.  (COMMENT: We note Iranian 
media  reports that, on margins of the Summit, the GOTG and 
GOI signed three memoranda of understanding to bolster 
economic cooperation in various fields. END COMMENT) 
 
VENEZUELAN LOBBYING ON UNSC CANDIDACY 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Saine stated that on the margins of the AU Summit 
Chavez had lobbied extensively on behalf of Venezuela's UNSC 
candidacy, noting that he had met with numerous AU member 
states' delegations.  Based on readouts from delegations, 
Saine gathered that in his approaches, Chavez had offered 
economic blandishments centered on Venezuela's oil resources 
(e.g., concessionary sales terms, barter arrangements) in 
return for support in the voting for the UNSC seat. Saine 
judged that the GOTG had already pledged its support for 
Venezuela and that Chavez may well have garnered pledges of 
support from some other AU member states as well during his 
lobbying campaign here -- although Saine said he could  not 
confirm such pledges from specific countries.   In response 
to Ambassador's question, Saine said he had not been aware 
that an Ambassadorial-level Guatemalan rep had been on hand 
for the Summit. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶5. (C) Saine's assertions of Jammeh's reaching out to 
Venezuela and Iran in an anti-U.S. reaction to the suspension 
of MCA eligibility are plausible and serve as a troubling 
reminder of the rough-hewn Gambian leader's penchant for 
erratic, impulsive actions -- as also evident of late in the 
GOTG's declining performance on human rights (ref c). Saine's 
remarks add to our sense of skeptcism over pro-forma 
assurances from GOTG officials that the presence of the 
Venezuelan and Iranian leaders at the Summit should be seen 
strictly as part of the GOTG's effort, as it seeks to develop 
its hoped-for oil resources, to elicit the assistance of two 
 
BANJUL 00000439  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
key oil producing states.  To be sure, we believe that the 
Gambia's solicitation of oil-related cooperation is indeed a 
factor in its courting of Venezuela and Iran, but the 
possibility that such courting signals the beginning of a 
worrisome shift away from the moderate foreign policy adopted 
by Jammeh in recent years cannot be ruled out.   END COMMENT. 
STAFFORD