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DE RUEHNJ #1182/01 2751132
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 021132Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4409
INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 1295
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0340
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1576
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 2002
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 1373

C O N F I D E N T I A L NDJAMENA 001182 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PARIS AND LONDON FOR AFRICAWATCHERS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2007 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM CD
SUBJECT: NEW DIRECTOR OF CHAD PRESIDENT'S CIVIL CABINET 
 
Classified By: LUCY TAMLYN, DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION, FOR REASONS 
1.4 (B) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary.  The new Director of President Deby's Civil 
Cabinet told  the Ambassador that Chadian rebels in the east 
were effectively confined to a zone near the border and would 
not venture further into Chad.  He spoke frankly of ongoing 
negotiations with the rebels and reported some successes. 
End summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) The Ambassador met with Mahamat Hissein, the new 
Director of President Deby's Civil Cabinet on September 27, 
¶2006.  Formerly the Secretary General of the President's 
Patriotic Salvation Movement party (French acronym MPS) and 
Vice-President of the National Assembly, Hissein assumed the 
position of Director of the Civil Cabinet during the cabinet 
shuffles of early September. 
 
¶3.  (U)  Hissein joked that he was indeed in the "the hot 
seat" in his latest position. By the time something gets to 
me, he acknowledged, it's both "urgent and serious!"  Hissein 
stated that the Ambassador would always find him available, 
and welcomed the opportunity to improve relations between 
Chad and the United States.  He recalled his previous visits 
to the United States (both work-related, as well as for 
studies), and explained that he had some familiarity with 
Americans and the American system which gave him insight into 
U.S. views and beliefs. 
 
¶4.  (U) Looking ahead to the priorities for the coming year, 
Hissein highlighted the upcoming budget sessions with the 
National Assembly, the start-up of the ne government, 
reorganization of the MPS, and upcoming elections. 
Implementation of the President's ocial program, including 
raising the minimum wag, was a priorityas well.  Of course, 
he added tere were also military and political issues to be 
dealt with.  He assured the Ambassador that the hihest 
priority was to "have more serenity" in Cha.  Hissein 
explained that the postponed local elections would be held at 
the end of 2006, and the postponed legislative elections 
would be held in October 2007.  Delegations would be heading 
out to the field to prepare these local elections.  Hissein 
explained that the government wanted to conduct a full 
national census.  Without this, it would be difficult to 
clean the electoral rolls.  (Comment: Post has requested ESF 
funding to support the national census -- the first to be 
held since 1993. End Comment)  Hissein pointed out that local 
elections will give Chadian citizens a new opportunity to 
affect local issues; however, nomads will not vote in these 
local election -- they will have an opportunity to cast 
ballots in yet a third election to be held after the 
legislative elections in which rural "decentralized 
communities" will pick representatives.  Concerning 
legislative elections, Hissein noted that the issue of 
determining electoral districts still needs to be resolved. 
 
¶5.  (C) On the current situation in eastern Chad, Hissein 
responded that the recent clashes were due to the Sudanese 
government's move to push Chadian rebels back into Chad.  He 
warned that these conflicts were not over, but at least the 
rebels "would not make it further into the interior."  He 
noted that the rebels were confined to a small zone and that 
some of them were crossing over to the government side. He 
explained that the government was in active negotiation with 
rebels, but that this process would take some time.  These 
negotiations were not about "political reconciliation", he 
asserted, but about "social standing" for army deserters who 
sought reinstatement.  "As long as this is done discretely," 
he said "this will work."  He said that some 100 had come 
over to the governmens side.  The issue was to find a balance 
between the use of force and "the extended hand." 
 
Comment: 
 
¶6.  (C)  Hissein appeared at ease in his new position, and 
eager to maintain an open and good relationship with the 
Ambassador.  His comments on the ongoing negotiations between 
the government and rebel forces were unusually frank. 
However, while rank-and-file desertees may be tempted by 
reinstatement, the rebel's political leadership is unlikely 
to be brought in with such inducements. Their eventual goal 
still appears to be the removal of President Deby from power. 
 End Comment. 
 
Bio note:  Hissein is a long-time MPS insider, having served 
as the President Deby's Press Officer shortly after the coup 
d'etat that brought Deby to power.  Hissein is a journalist 
by training, and the owner of the daily newspaper "Le 
Progress" which, with some minor exceptions, generally 
assumes the role of a pro-government mouthpiece.   Le 
Progress has also been the most critical of U.S. foreign 
policy among Chad's independent newspapers.  More recently 
Hissein triumphed in what was reportedly a bruising internal 
MPS contest to retain the presidency of the MPS.  As the MPS 
Secretary General, he delivered a forceful "the times they 
 
SIPDIS 
are a-changing" speech to the MPS party faithful at the 2006 
Party Congress in which he did not shy away from direct 
criticism of the party and called on the MPS to become more 
professional, attack corruption, and become a truly national 
political party. 
WALL