VZCZCXRO1543
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNM #0165/01 0761202
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171202Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY NIAMEY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4912
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0788
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NIAMEY 000165 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, AND NEA/MAG 
 
PARIS FOR AF WATCHER 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL KDEM PGOV SOCI AU LY NG
SUBJECT:  NIGER: AFRICAN UNION CHAIRMAN QADHAFI STOPOVER MORPHS INTO 
FOUR-DAY VISIT; REVIVES THIRD PRESIDENTIAL MANDATE DEBATE 
 
Ref:  A) 08 Niamey 1111, B) Niamey 0109 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  African Union (AU) Chairman Muammar al- Qadhafi's 
March 12 stopover in Niamey concluded three days later, March 15. 
Government of Niger (GON) President Mamadou Tandja praised Qadhafi 
for the delivery of six former hostages previously held by Mouvement 
des Nigeriens Pour la Justice (MNJ) rebels and welcomed Qadhafi's 
efforts to secure peace and stability for the region.  Qadhafi drew 
the ire of several Nigerien civil society organizations after 
remarks he made at an official banquet criticized term limits and 
revived debate about a possible third presidential mandate (Ref A). 
He stressed the need to quell unrest in many corners of the 
continent in order to facilitate the realization of a United States 
of Africa.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) AU Chairman Qadhafi extended a few-hours' stopover into a 
March 12-15 visit.  The GON quickly pulled together a March 14 
gala/banquet to which Government leaders (Cabinet ministers, 
National Assembly deputies, and commissioners), the diplomatic corps 
and other prominent personalities were invited.  GON President 
Tandja opened the event more than an hour later than scheduled; he 
thanked Qadhafi for the delivery of five military officers and one 
gendarme.  He noted that through the aid of the Government of Libya, 
a total of 27 hostages had returned to their families in Niger in 
three waves:  6, 15, and 6 over the past two years.  He added his 
hope that Qadhafi, in his role as AU Chairman, would facilitate the 
return to Niger of remaining hostages. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The gala was only scheduled to consist of a dinner and 
performances by several renowned cultural groups, including Tuareg 
women's singing group Sogha and Tuareg-Woodabe musical group Etran 
Finatawa but, apparently unexpectedly, Qadhafi stated he'd like to 
make a few remarks.  He then proceeded for approximately an hour to 
ramble about his concerns for the continent.  Citing his 
responsibilities as AU Chairman and Magreb Union Leader, he stated 
that Madagascar is his major current preoccupation.  He commented 
that most recent conflicts on the continent have occurred in the 
Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) space:  Guinea 
(Conakry), Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Chad, and Togo, but added that 
the political environment in the Horn of Africa and Kenya, 
trafficking of all kinds and insecurity in the Sahel are all 
troubling.  He emphasized that he had informed his "brothers" in 
Guinea (Conakry), Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania that military rule 
would not be acceptable, that the will of the people must prevail. 
He reported that ousted Mauritanian President Abdallahi had accepted 
to remain in his village and recognized he couldn't return to the 
Presidency because it wasn't the will of the people.  Qadhafi 
announced that his "brother" (referring to General Aziz) had assured 
him that elections would be conducted in Mauritania on June 6, 2009. 
 He added that he informed Aziz that he or any uniformed military 
personnel whom wished to run for elected office, should resign their 
military posts, to ensure a return to civilian rule.  He said that 
the CEN-SAD and the AU will send representatives to Guinea-Bissau to 
investigate the recent assassinations there. 
 
¶4.  Next Qadhafi spoke of the will of the people.  He stressed that 
if the people believe the President is doing a poor job that they 
have the right to vote him out of office when he next stands for 
election.  On the other hand, he emphasized that if a President is 
doing a good job, and it is the will of the people to keep him, then 
a good leader shouldn't be bound by a piece of paper like a 
constitution.  He said Western democracies, like the United Kingdom 
and Italy, permit their leaders to run for unlimited numbers of 
mandates, thus African nations should be permitted to do the same. 
Further, he stated government in Western nations is unimportant 
because institutions work well with or without government.  However, 
he added, in Africa, good leaders should be allowed to stay the 
course as long as the people want them to do so because institutions 
in Africa can't function without government.  He said that he had 
studied the constitutions of Guinea (Conakry) and Guinea-Bissau 
because those countries had problems, then emphasized he had not 
studied the Nigerien constitution because "there are no problems in 
Niger."  (Note:  Qhadafi's comments about the irrelevance of 
constitutions infuriated leaders in several Nigerien civil society 
organizations.  Comments aired in media reports included: 
"Nigeriens know what is best for Nigeriens; Qhadafi only speaks for 
himself and needs to stop meddling in the internal affairs of other 
countries; Nigeriens don't need a dictator, emperor or potentate; 
elections are conducted on the basis of law."  End note.) 
 
¶5. (SBU) Qadhafi reported that he advised MNJ rebels to lay down 
their arms to facilitate peace talks, but that some rebels expressed 
fear that they may have to account for their past actions.  He said 
they want a guarantee they will not be punished.  He expressed 
pleasure at being able to reunite the former hostages with their 
families, and said he wants to be an agent of peace.  (Comment: 
 
NIAMEY 00000165  002 OF 002 
 
 
Provided the movement towards peace continues to gain momentum from 
the February 2009 Niger-Mali Peace Forum (Ref B), the MNJ release of 
six GON security force hostages and talk of a second peace forum, 
Concord Day (April 24), the Nigerien national holiday that marks the 
signing of the 1995 Peace Accords, may be a window of opportunity to 
announce the cessation of hostilities.  End comment.)  Qadhafi 
closed the event calling for measures to stem trafficking of all 
kinds in the Sahel:  drugs, cigarettes, arms, mines and people. 
 
Minimize considered. 
 
Allen