VZCZCXRO3020
PP RUEHPA RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNK #0504/01 2150910
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 030910Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8683
INFO RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1164
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0811
RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA 0735
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0784
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 2341
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 0187
RHMFISS/COMSOCEUR VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHDS/USMISSION USAU ADDIS ABABA
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1258
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 000504 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/02/2019 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM MR
SUBJECT: ON IRAN, ISRAEL AND US-MAURITANIA RELATIONS: HEADS 
UP FROM THE PARLIAMENTARIAN MAJORITY 
 
REF: NOUAKCHOTT 188 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Mark Boulware for reasons 1.4 (c) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary:  According to Mohamed Aly Cherif, 
Parliamentarian Majority President and leader of 
President-elect Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz's party Union Pour la 
Republique (UPR), the new government is willing to work with 
the opposition but the ball is now on the opposition's court. 
 Cherif does not see parliamentary elections in the horizon 
as long as Democratic Opposition President Ahmed Ould Daddah 
and National Assembly President Messaoud Ould Boulkheir 
accept to work within the system and refrain from blocking 
parliament by contesting the elections.  Cherif took 
advantage of PolOff's visit to deliver a clear message to the 
US:  questions like Mauritania's relations with Iran, Israel 
and Syria should not get in the way of increased 
US-Mauritanian cooperation.  Mauritania's national interest 
will dictate the country's approach to those questions and 
the US should respect that.  Cherif's message could be 
interpreted as an announcement of increased cooperation with 
Iran and Syria, and a refusal to re-establish relations with 
Israel or even a radicalization leading to severing 
relations.  It could also be seen as another case of the old 
Mauritanian game consisting on dangling the Israeli and 
Iranian cards in front of the US to encourage quicker and 
increased US engagement in Mauritania.  End summary. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
ON THE OPPOSITION AND THE ASSEMBLY'S FUTURE 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C)  PolOff met with Cherif on July 30 to inquire about 
parliamentary perspectives following the election and the 
future role of the opposition.  As in past meetings, Cherif 
was accompanied by Taleb Ould Sidi Ould Khalifa, Deputy and 
President of the External Relations Commission.  Note:  On 
August 2, Union Pour la Republique (UPR), headed by Aziz, 
will hold a General Assembly to choose a new leader as the 
constitution prevents presidents from heading political 
parties.  According to rumors, Cherif stands as a favorite to 
become UPR's new president (reftel).  End note. 
 
¶3.  (C)  Cherif, who opened the meeting by noting his 
satisfaction with Ambassador Boulware's visit to 
President-elect Aziz, stated that Mauritania is looking 
forward to positive engagement with the US.  He stressed 
that, despite the opposition's claims, the election was 
transparent and there was no fraud.  Cherif feels that Aziz 
demonstrated that he is an open leader by accepting the Dakar 
Accord and giving important Transitional Government of 
National Unity ministries to the opposition.  He declared the 
future of the opposition will depend on whether they want to 
participate in a normal democratic process or whether they 
will continue contesting the election.  When asked about the 
opposition's decision to call for a fraud investigation, 
Cherif stated the legal entities in charge of certifying the 
elections have pronounced themselves and now "the election 
file is entirely closed and will not be reopened."  For 
Cherif, the ball is now on the opposition's court to decide 
whether they will boycott or participate and he called on the 
US to use its influence in encouraging participation. 
 
¶4.  (C)  On the question of parliamentary elections, Cherif 
stated that Aziz had no intention to dissolve parliament and 
call for new elections as he had the majority.  The priority 
now is to "start working as soon as possible" and elections 
would be costly and time-consuming.  Nevertheless, if 
National Assembly President Messaoud Ould Boulkheir insists 
on blocking parliament by contesting the election, "the story 
will be different."  "Our priority is to fight poverty, we 
will not put up with a blockage of institutions because a 
leader is upset," stressed Cherif.  Regarding Ahmed Ould 
Daddah, Cherif confirmed Daddah resigned as head of the 
democratic opposition when he decided to run for president. 
Nevertheless, Cherif stated it is possible he will be invited 
to resume his position if the Assembly is not dissolved. 
Note:  The Democratic Opposition became a permanent component 
of the parliamentary system of checks and balances in 2007. 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00000504  002 OF 002 
 
 
Headed by the party that obtains the second place in 
parliamentarian elections, the democratic opposition has a 
minister-ranked president whose role is to provide the 
opposition's input to the legislative process. 
 
¶5.  (C)  Cherif said the National Assembly recessed on July 9 
and will not resume sessions until November 1.  Nevertheless, 
an extraordinary session has been scheduled to pass an 
Amended Finance Law to adjust the budget. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
ON IRAN AND ISRAEL: A HEADS UP TO THE US 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C)  Cherif abruptly changed the topic and asked PolOff 
to write down a message for Washington.  He solemnly stated 
that the US "had to understand that the Government of 
Mauritania wants to have relations with the USG." 
Nevertheless, he said the problem of relations with Iran and 
Syria stood on the way.  "We are not Iran or Syria," he 
stressed and asked the US to avoid "linking its views on 
Mauritania to its views on Iran and Syria."  He underlined 
President Obama had shown an open attitude towards Iran and 
that "if the US cooperates with Iran and Syria they should 
let us cooperate with them as well."  When asked whether 
Mauritania planned increased engagement with these countries, 
Cherif responded "this would be decided on the basis of 
national interest." 
 
¶7.  (C)  Cherif also wanted PolOff to convey to Washington 
that Mauritania's attitude towards Israel should not taint 
US-Mauritania relations.  PolOff asked Cherif whether 
Mauritania planned to resume relations with Israel, keep 
relations frozen or severe them.  Cherif responded it would 
all depend on the Netanyahu government and progress on the 
Palestinian question. 
 
¶8.  (C)  The third point Cherif wished to communicate is that 
Mauritania wanted the US to re-establish normal relations and 
to allow development and cultural cooperation to resume.  "We 
want the US to give Mauritania all the chances given to other 
friendly countries," he stressed.  PolOff said Ambassador was 
pleased with President-elect Aziz's proposed program and that 
if the government remained inclusive and democratic, 
cooperation would not be an issue.  Nevertheless, PolOff 
underscored the need for greater efforts on the anti-slavery 
and human rights fronts.  Cherif said that Aziz could not be 
blamed for Mauritania's bad record because he still is not in 
power and the system has been corrupt since French colonial 
times.  He stressed Aziz wished to clean the system and 
contribute to a more just society but that this would take 
some time. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶9.  (C)  Cherif's message could be a heads up to the US about 
increased cooperation with Iran and Syria and about a refusal 
to re-establish relations with Israel or even a willingness 
to severe them.  At the same time, Cherif could be "bluffing" 
and showing the US the Iranian and Israeli card as a way of 
spurring US interest and speeding up re-engagement.  Taking 
in consideration the current state of the economy (see 
septel), the new government will need all the international 
help available to succeed.  Cherif's message may signal 
Mauritania's desperation to see US development aid resume as 
soon as possible.  End comment. 
 
 
BOULWARE