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DE RUEHDK #1323/01 1720805
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O 210805Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8606
INFO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
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RUEHLS/AMEMBASSY LUSAKA 0159
RUEHTO/AMEMBASSY MAPUTO 0460
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 DAKAR 001323 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF, AF/W, AF/RSA AND INR/AA 
NSC FOR AF SENIOR DIRECTOR PITTMAN 
PARIS FOR POL - D'ELIA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OVIP PGOV ECON EAID PREL KMCA SG
SUBJECT: SENEGAL SCENESETTER FOR FIRST LADY (FLOTUS) 
LAURA BUSH 
 
DAKAR 00001323  001.2 OF 005 
 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
¶1.  (SBU) As the Mission and the Government of Senegal 
(GOS) prepare to host you, President Abdoulaye Wade 
has just changed Prime Ministers and reshuffled his 
cabinet.  The Senegalese are proud to have a 
predominantly Muslim democracy that preaches tolerance 
and visibly supports the United States in promoting 
peace and combating terrorism.  The GOS is seeking to 
enhance economic growth, which has remained steady at 
five percent over the last decade, though growth fell 
to two percent in 2006.  Despite high rates of poverty 
and illiteracy, Senegal retains a high degree of 
political stability and coherence thus enabling the 
GOS to be a diplomatic player on a continent replete 
with conflicts.  With U.S. training and assistance, 
Senegal has also become one of the world's top ten 
contributors of peacekeepers. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Senegal aspires to become a more significant 
trading partner, but Senegalese producers have yet to 
make serious efforts to tap into the U.S. market, 
preferring to focus their exports on regional and 
European countries.  The overall economic malaise, 
especially in the agriculture and fishing sectors, has 
resulted in mass illegal migration of Senegalese to 
the Canary Islands (and, hence, the European Union), a 
thorny issue for the GOS.  The prospect of a 
successful Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Compact 
offers a realistic potential for breaking with the 
past.  Senegal must improve the investment climate and 
push forward more vigorously with reforms to 
strengthen its fragile judiciary that is lacking 
sufficient resources and often subject to external 
influences.  END SUMMARY. 
 
AN IMPERFECT DEMOCRACY 
---------------------- 
¶3.  (SBU) Senegal is at an interesting juncture in its 
post-independence history.  On February 25, President 
Abdoulaye Wade (pronounced "wahd") won 56 percent of 
the vote in a field of 15 candidates, with 70 percent 
of registered Senegalese voters going to the polls. 
Twice-postponed parliamentary elections took place on 
June 3, but most of the major opposition parties 
boycotted them, allowing the ruling Senegalese 
Democratic party (PDS) and its allies to capture 131 
of the 150 seats in the National Assembly that met for 
the first time on June 20.  In 2000 and 2007, Wade won 
open, peaceful and highly competitive elections due to 
a strong Senegalese national desire for change after 
nearly 40 years of Socialist Party governments. 
Having come under tough scrutiny and criticism for not 
having realized many of his campaign promises, he has 
undertaken major public works projects that benefited 
him politically. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Wade and his party have benefited from 
Senegal's institutionalization of democratic values, 
respect for human rights, expansion of tolerance, 
advancement of women's rights, and freedom of 
expression in all its forms.  As a consequence, the 
standards by which the performance of his government 
is being measured are admittedly higher than those of 
his predecessors, a healthy sign that the large 
majority of Senegalese expect and demand democratic 
behavior from this government. 
 
SENEGAL'S UNIQUE BRAND OF ISLAM 
------------------------------- 
¶5.  (SBU) Senegal is 95 percent Muslim, and it is 
instinctively resistant to religious extremism.  One 
reason for this moderation is Senegal's distinctive 
and flexible interpretation of Islam.  Another may be 
its geographic position at the western edge of the 
Islamic world.  But perhaps the principal reason is 
the pervasive influence of Sufi brotherhoods that are 
hostile to external influences that they perceive as 
undercutting their own stature.  The majority of 
 
DAKAR 00001323  002.2 OF 005 
 
 
Senegalese identify themselves with one of the four 
principal Brotherhoods (Tidjane, Mouride, Qu'adria and 
Layenne).  Religious chiefs are called marabouts. 
Followers or talibes are expected to attach themselves 
to a marabout, and this allegiance is like a feeling 
for a father.  In many ways the marabouts have 
replaced the traditional village chiefs.  Politicians 
use these affiliations to advance their policies. 
 
SENEGAL'S ECONOMY: AN ACHILLES HEEL 
----------------------------------- 
¶6.  (SBU) There is general economic stability, and GDP 
growth averaged five percent annually for the last ten 
years.  It fell to two percent in 2006.  More than 
half the population lives in poverty; one-third to 
one-half have no reliable employment; the agricultural 
sector, which employs 60 percent of the population, is 
weak and unreliable; fishing, another big livelihood 
provider, has also been depressed mostly due to 
diminished fish stocks.  Most youth see emigration as 
a panacea, as shown by the recent flight of thousands 
of Senegalese, via small and dangerous boats, to the 
Canary Islands -- an entry to the European Union.  On 
a more positive note, Senegal graduated from the 
Highly Indebted Poor Countries program.  In 2005 and 
2006, the IMF and the World Bank forgave over USD 1 
billion in multilateral debt, potentially freeing up 
over USD 80 million per year for poverty reduction. 
Despite these successes, the business environment 
remains difficult.  Corruption is an issue, and while 
Wade has said the right things about combating it, 
members of his own family are often rumored to demand 
bribes and percentages of investments.  In the coming 
year, Senegal will face a serious budget crunch and 
will look to donors for assistance.  Most traditional 
donors, for their part, are hesitant to provide budget 
support without greater transparency and 
accountability of expenditures by the GOS. 
 
CLANDESTINE MIGRATION: SOCIAL ISSUE OF THE DAY 
--------------------------------------------- - 
¶7.  (U) Starting in mid-May 2006, the flow of illegal 
African migrants landing on the shores of Spain's 
Canary Islands reached alarming levels.  Over 27,000 
illegal migrants, more than half of whom are 
Senegalese, were detained by Spanish authorities in 
¶2006.  Of the 27,000, more than 5,000 migrants were 
repatriated to Senegal.  This has generated extensive 
press coverage by the local and international media 
and has become a priority for the Government.  On 
October 10, Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane 
Gadio and his Spanish counterpart, Miguel Angel 
Moratinos, signed a framework agreement paving the way 
for legal immigration based on Spanish job market 
needs.  Based on the agreement, Spain will provide 
Senegal with up to USD 19 million annually over five 
years.  Several other European countries and the 
European Commission have also donated funds and 
equipment to improve surveillance of the Senegalese 
coast and improve border enforcement. 
 
FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES START IN NEIGHBORHOOD 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
¶8.  (SBU) Senegal devotes major efforts to maintaining 
stability on its borders.  While politically Wade has 
worked hard to expand Senegal's role on the continent 
and in world affairs, his government actually provides 
real resources (financial, material and humanitarian) 
to its near neighbors.  For example, Wade has been 
engaged in Guinea-Bissau since the September 2003 coup 
d'etat.  Characteristic of Senegal's regional 
anxieties, Wade and his government continue to express 
great concern over the eventual transition in nearby 
Guinea in light of the failig health of its leader, 
the potential for disrupions, and a resulting influx 
of refugees to Seneal.  Wade traveled to Conakry in 
March to undersore his support for Prime Minister 
Lansana Kouyae and to call international attention to 
Guinea'splight.  Also, the sometimes erratic behavior 
 
DAKAR 00001323  003.2 OF 005 
 
 
of Gambian President Jammeh, who rules the 
strategically located strip of land that juts into 
Senegal, raises Senegalese concerns over The Gambia's 
stability. 
 
CASAMANCE CONFLICT 
------------------ 
¶9.  (SBU) Internal conflict in Senegal's southernmost 
region of the Casamance has regional security 
implications because it borders The Gambia and Guinea- 
Bissau.  In the last year, there has been an increase 
in fighting between factions of the Casamance 
separatist movement in southern Senegal and the 
Senegalese military.  Reports of banditry in the area 
have also increased.  At least seven civilians died 
and over 35 were wounded in security incidents in the 
Casamance in 2006.  We continue to use our influence 
with GOS civilian and military institutions as well as 
with representatives of local communities in the 
Casamance to achieve reconciliation and a lasting 
resolution to the conflict. 
 
U.S. ASSISTANCE 
--------------- 
¶10.  (SBU) In addition to supporting the Casamance 
peace process, U.S. assistance to Senegal has focused 
on Muslim outreach, health, education, export 
promotion, promotion of women's rights, good 
governance and decentralization.  Approximately 150 
Peace Corps Volunteers are involved in health, 
education, natural resource management and micro- 
enterprise programs.  Peace Corps and USAID 
collaborated to develop the garden you will visit. 
Our model Muslim outreach program consists of 
assisting daaras (Koranic schools), sending imams, 
marabouts and Islamic scholars to the United States on 
International Visitor programs and donating Arabic-, 
French- and English-language materials to Islamic 
schools and libraries.  The proposed MCA Compact would 
more than double annual U.S. assistance, completing a 
toll road the length of the "Cap Vert" peninsula to 
decongest the capital and connect it to a proposed 
Free Trade Zone and new airport. 
 
¶11.  (U) In Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, the United States 
provided about USD 55 million in assistance to 
Senegal.  In FY 2007, we are providing even more, 
including USD 16.7 million under the President's 
Malaria Initiative (PMI), USD 6.6 million to combat 
HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, and USD 5 million for middle 
school construction, textbooks and scholarships for 
girls.  Fact sheets on the status of presidential 
initiatives in Senegal will be available during the 
visit. 
 
COMMITMENT TO REGIONAL SECURITY/COOPERATION WITH U.S. 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
¶12.  (SBU) Senegal has been a loyal partner and has 
served as an operational base for every U.S. 
deployment to the region.  The GOS has supported the 
United States by deploying troops to the Gulf War, 
Bosnia, Haiti, Rwanda, the Central African Republic, 
East Timor, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the 
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and, most 
recently, Sudan.  Senegal was the first African nation 
to sign up for the African Crisis Response Initiative 
(ACRI) [now the African Contingency Operations 
Training and Assistance (ACOTA)] program that provides 
military assistance and training to African militaries 
with the capability of participating in peacekeeping 
operations, principally in Africa.  ACOTA complements 
the largest International Military Education and 
Training (IMET) program in Sub-Saharan Africa.  This 
has paid major dividends through the engagement of 
Senegalese troops in their traditional areas of 
interest (Cote d'Ivoire) and in areas of traditional 
interest to us (Liberia). 
 
THE U.S.-SENEGAL AGENDA 
 
DAKAR 00001323  004.2 OF 005 
 
 
----------------------- 
¶13.  (SBU) For the U.S., Senegal represents our most 
important francophone partner in Africa.  Perhaps not 
coincidentally, President Wade perceives himself as a 
good friend of President Bush.  He basked in the glow 
of the President's visit in July 2003, his December 
2004 visit to the White House, Secretary of State Rice 
and Secretary of Agriculture Johanns' July 2005 
visits, Secretary of Labor Chao's April 2007 visit and 
invitations to three G-8 summits.  For Senegal, the 
U.S. represents an attractive alternative to complete 
dependence on France.  We also embody values that Wade 
would like to establish in Senegal, particularly 
economic ones.  However, there is a realistic 
appreciation among knowledgeable Senegalese that the 
U.S. is not likely to supplant France as its principal 
partner any time in the foreseeable future. 
 
¶14.  (SBU) On terrorism, Senegal was among the first 
African states to recognize the dangers posed to its 
own security by international terrorism.  It has 
cooperated actively with the U.S. in the global war on 
terrorism, and Senegal has ratified 12 of the 13 key 
anti-terrorist conventions and protocols identified by 
the U.S.  The National Assembly enacted 
counterterrorism legislation at the end of January. 
Senegal is also leading regional efforts to combat 
terrorist financing.  Intelligence sharing and 
vigilance along Senegal's borders is good and 
continues to improve through well-established 
channels.  We have raised our concerns with Senegal's 
leaders over the potential for unwanted influences 
from radical Muslim states, such as Iran. 
 
¶15.  (SBU) We continue to scrutinize Senegal's 
relationship with Iran, Libya, Venezuela and Cuba. 
Thus far, Senegal has done a good job in 
compartmentalizing and managing those relationships to 
ensure that they do not act to undermine Senegal's 
stability.  We also continue to remind Senegal's 
leaders that too close an embrace will not be well 
understood nor well appreciated in Washington.  Thus 
far, President Wade has gotten the message.  With 
respect to the situation in Iraq, Senegal has been 
more neutral than during the first Gulf War.  (Senegal 
proudly provided troops to help evict Saddam from 
Kuwait.)  Senegal resisted French pressure to take a 
more critical posture, and in fact Wade publicly noted 
his satisfaction that Saddam had been removed from 
power.  Since diplomatic relations with China were re- 
established in October 2005, the Chinese have played 
an increasingly visible role as a development partner, 
and the market share of Chinese products, especially 
cheap consumer goods and equipment and vehicles. 
Large-scale foreign investment, however, has come 
mostly from France, Morocco, and India. 
 
INVESTMENT CLIMATE 
------------------ 
¶16.  (U) Potential investors, and current businesses, 
are concerned about Senegal's energy situation, about 
the slow pace of establishing an effective and 
transparent judiciary that understands commercial 
issues, about needed education reform, especially the 
lack of vocational education, and about burdensome 
labor laws that deter hiring and make dismissals for 
cause difficult.  Through our assistance programs and 
the donor community's Private Sector Working Group -- 
which is chaired by the U.S. Ambassador -- we are 
actively working with the GOS in advancing policy 
reforms, such as reducing the time and cost to start a 
business. 
 
BOTTOM LINE 
----------- 
¶17.  (SBU) Senegal under Wade is a good partner, very 
sympathetic to U.S. interests, and regularly seeking 
ways to deepen the relationship.  Senegal is eager to 
receive critical Millennium Challenge Corporation 
 
DAKAR 00001323  005.2 OF 005 
 
 
(MCC) funding, and, though the GOS is eager to 
conclude its Compact in 2007, the due diligence 
required to complete the project's scope of work will 
likely push the signing date to 2008.  Economically, 
Senegal continues to seek U.S. partners and 
participants to improve its economy, especially in 
agro-industry, telecommunications, energy and 
transport.  Bilateral relations are very warm and 
continue to deepen as we expand our areas of 
cooperation and seek additional sectors of mutual 
benefit.  Senegal also carefully considers potential 
U.S. reactions to its particular foreign policy 
decisions, often responding favorably when we express 
our concerns, or when we seek GOS support.  In sum, 
Senegal enjoys a close identification with the United 
States and many of our policies and values. 
 
JACOBS