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Reference ID	Created	Released	Classification	Origin
09NOUAKCHOTT103	2009-02-03 19:34	2011-08-30 01:44	UNCLASSIFIED	Embassy Nouakchott

VZCZCXRO2102
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHNK #0103 0341934
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031934Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8080
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHLMC/MCC WASHINGTON DC
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0766

UNCLAS NOUAKCHOTT 000103 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W DENNISON, AF/RSA, DRL/AE, AND AF/PDPA LISENBY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KAPO KMDR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: PRESIDENT OBAMAQS INTERVIEW WITH AL ARABIYA 
AND LETTER TO 
PRESIDENT ABDALLAHI 
 
¶1.  (U) The Obama Al Arabiya interview of January 26th garnered 
limited press coverage in 
Mauritania.  One major daily, Nouakchott Info, ran a repeat of the 
interviewQs transcript while local 
websites and other papers, Arab and French, to our knowledge, did 
not carry or gave extremely 
limited coverage.  State TV and radio, mouthpieces of the current 
military junta, ignored the 
interview entirely. 
¶2. (U) On the other hand, local Arabic and French papers highlighted 
President Barack ObamaQs 
personal letter to President Ould Cheikh Abdallahi (a response to 
his inauguration congratulatory 
letter) delivered on January 27th and the fact that junta-leader 
Abdel Aziz wrote a similar 
congratulatory letter to Obama that went unacknowledged.  President 
Barack ObamaQs letter to 
President Abdallahi gained more attention in local media than his Al 
Arabiya interview. 
¶3.  (U) According to local staff, the Al Arabiya interview garnered 
little word of mouth impetus on 
the streets.  Due to the recent events in Gaza, and increased 
attention towards Mauritania, Qatari 
owned Al Jazeera has gained a wider viewership and respectability 
from the Mauritanian audience 
than Saudi owned Al Arabiya.  Unlike Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera has a 
radio station in Mauritania, and 
the publicQs perception is that it caters to an Arab/Muslim audience 
while the former 
accommodates Western viewers. Al Jazeera did not cover the Al 
Arabiya interview. 
¶4.  (U) On February 1st, PAO spoke with the editor of Nouakchott 
Info, Mohamed Khattat, a visitor 
to the US on the Edward Murrow Investigative Journalism program 
during the US Elections in 
November 2008.  When asked why he covered ObamaQs Al Arabiya 
interview while his 
competitors did not he said, QI am now considered American. I cover 
American stories.  We have 
done stories on Obama since the beginning and we continue. 
¶5. (U) Comment:   Post hosted a Digital Video Conference on January 
28th with Professor of 
Political Science at the American University of Paris, Dr. Steven 
Ekovich, where the Al Arabiya 
interview was one subject among many during a lively debate between 
an audience of local 
journalists, politicians and alumni.  While the lack of local media 
attention and analysis of this 
newsworthy event could be evidence of the regression in press 
liberty since the August 6th 2008 
coup, it could also be due to Mauritanian navel gazing to the 
exclusion of international coverage 
and Al JazeeraQs relative monopoly on the Mauritanian media market.

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Viewing cable 09NOUAKCHOTT103, MEDIA REACTION: PRESIDENT OBAMAQS INTERVIEW WITH AL ARABIYA