VZCZCXRO0546
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHPL #0066/01 0550700
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 240700Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY PORT LOUIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4448
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0350

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT LOUIS 000066 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/E 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/18/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ZI MP
SUBJECT: CHARGE'S QUARTERLY CALL ON MAURITIAN PRIME 
MINISTER RAMGOOLAM 
 
REF: A. PORT LOUIS 49 
     ¶B. PORT LOUIS 64 
     ¶C. SECSTATE 13422 
     ¶D. PORT LOUIS 62 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Virginia M. Blaser for reasons 1.4 (b 
and d). 
 
1.(C) SUMMARY: On February 19, Charge met with Mauritian 
Prime Minister Ramgoolam to discuss the PM's recent trip to 
the United States for the annual Prayer Breakfast. The PM 
seemed pleased with the trip, although disappointed not to 
meet President Obama during the breakfast.  The PM's efforts 
to build an education-sharing program with University of 
Maryland had him the most animated, while realities of 
pushing GOM goals on Diego Garcia proved more sobering.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
US TRIP - DIEGO GARCIA - UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2. (C) During Charge's quarterly meeting with Prime Minister 
Ramgoolam (PM) on February 19, the PM reviewed his recent 
trip to the United States, covering many of the issues as 
expressed in ref C.  He echoed reftel statements that he 
understood the Department of State position vis-a-vis Diego 
Garcia was that the GOM must take the issue up with the UK, 
not the US.  He noted that negotiations with the UK are 
continuing, and that he hoped they would begin soon at 
"higher levels."  The PM expressed great enthusiasm for his 
discussions with the University of Maryland for education 
exchange opportunities, and said he has asked the Mauritian 
Ambassador to the US to spearhead efforts to bring an 
agreement forward quickly. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
PLANS TO REQUEST POTUS MEETING - ATTENDANCE AT UNGA 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶3.  (C) The PM expressed disappointment at not meeting 
President Obama at the prayer breakfast, adding that he had 
thought that all heads of state attending the breakfast would 
have the opportunity to see the President separately.  The PM 
said he will forward through his Embassy an official request 
for an appointment with the President sometime this year.  He 
was willing, he added, to make a special trip to Washington 
to meet with the U.S. President if a date could be arranged. 
Alternatively, he would seek a meeting on the margins of the 
UN General Assembly, which the PM plans to attend in 
September. (NOTE: The PM did not attend the UNGA last year.) 
 
-------- 
ZIMBABWE 
-------- 
 
¶4.  (C) The PM expressed satisfaction that the situation in 
Zimbabwe had shifted in recent weeks, while noting "grave 
concern" over the recent arrests of MDC senior party leaders. 
The PM agreed that Mauritius should look to support Botswana 
and other initiatives in SADC to assist with the continuing 
problems in Zimbabwe.  The PM reminded Charge that the 
President of Zimbabwe will be the senior representative for 
Mauritian Independence celebrations planned for mid-March 
2009, and implied this trip would give Mauritius a chance to 
show support for Botswana's efforts. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
US ASSISTANCE AND MAURITIAN PEACEKEEPERS 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Charge reviewed the number of current USG-sponsored 
training programs taking place in coming months, including 
separate training programs being run by FBI, NCIS, Coast 
Guard, DHS and AFRICOM and the March African Center for 
Strategic Studies (ACSS) program.  The Charge added that the 
ACSS would have elements of peacekeeping in the agenda, and 
thanked the PM for his support to bring a larger group of 
Mauritian police into peacekeeping teams.  The PM replied 
that he understood it was time for Mauritius to take a more 
responsible role and he would continue to support this 
effort. The PM also expressed interest in the planned U.S. 
Department of Energy program for radioactive material 
safeguards. 
 
------------------------- 
SHIFTS IN THE PM'S OFFICE 
------------------------- 
 
 
PORT LOUIS 00000066  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  (C) Due to the grave illness of his cabinet secretary and 
the unexpected demise of Home Affairs Secretary Raj Madhoo 
(who died on February 16 during the Chinese President's 
visit), the PM noted that a number of shifts will be made in 
his office in coming weeks. In the interim, his senior 
secretary will serve as the cabinet secretary for purposes of 
taking notes at cabinet meetings.  The Home Affairs director 
will be filled "very quickly."  His options for both 
positions are in short supply, as due to legal requirements 
he may only fill the posts with Senior Civil Servants. 
Finding one with the right experience, whom he can trust to 
be discreet, may be difficult, he told the Charge. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶7. (C)  From a public relations perspective, the PM's trip to 
the US was less than ideal.  In advance of the trip, a number 
of press outlets quoted him and other government officials as 
saying he would be meeting Obama. (The PM denies he said that 
and accuses the press of simply getting the facts wrong). 
There was open criticism of his being away from the country 
for a "non-substantive" trip to the United States.  After the 
trip, it was widely stated in the press that he sat with the 
Secretary of State at the breakfast. Again, according to the 
PM, this was incorrect. In the end, the PM had no 
deliverables to provide critics of his US trip and basically 
stayed quiet about his U.S. trip upon his return.  Instead he 
shifted his public comments to the (then pending) Chinese 
President visit. 
 
¶8. (C) With regard to the staff losses in the PM's office, 
the PM continues to discuss with the Embassy his distrust of 
his cabinet and of PM office subordinates. His unwillingness 
to discuss his ideas and plans with others sometimes leads 
him to make poor choices (such as overboard remarks in his 
speech to the Chinese President described in reftel B).  The 
vacancies left by the loss of both senior PM office civil 
servants will be difficult to fill, but it appears the 
current Mauritian Ambassador to the US will return in coming 
months to fill the long vacant chief of cabinet position. 
This will help with management of PM issues -- an important 
need because the PM holds so many decisions in his own hands 
and delegates little to his cabinet -- and should also help 
USG efforts by providing a pro-US interlocutor very close to 
the PM. 
BLASER