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### Viewing cable 09PARIS815, MAURITANIA: FRENCH SEE ABDALLAHI AS OBSTACLE

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
09PARIS815 | 2009-06-18 13:01 | 2010-12-04 12:12 | CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN | Embassy Paris

`

    VZCZCXRO2217
    OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
    DE RUEHFR #0815/01 1691345
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    O 181345Z JUN 09
    FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6481
    INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
    RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY 2635
    RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1719
    RHMFIUU/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000815

    NOFORN
    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2019
    TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PINR PTER MR FR
    SUBJECT: MAURITANIA: FRENCH SEE ABDALLAHI AS OBSTACLE

    REF: A. NOUAKCHOTT 398 AND PREVIOUS
    ¶B. HANKINS JUNE 18 E-MAIL

    Classified By: Political Counselor Andrew Young, 1.4 (b/d).

    ¶1. (C/NF) SUMMARY: Presidential AF-advisor Romain Serman
    on June 18 said that deposed Mauritanian President Abdallahi
    seemed to be blocking final political agreement over the
    Dakar accord. France was prepared to call a "stop" to the
    process and urge that the Dakar accord be implemented as is,
    with or without Abdallahi's agreement or participation, which
    could encourage cooperation on Abdallahi's part. Serman said
    that junta leader Aziz visited Paris "privately" on June 12
    and met with Presidential Secretary-General Claude Gueant,
    with discussion focusing on terrorism. Serman said that
    President Sarkozy planned soon on chairing a high-level GOF
    meeting on terrorism in the Sahel, which indicated the level
    of French concern about terrorism in the region. Serman
    criticized businessman/lobbyist Robert Bourgi for his role in
    arranging Aziz's meeting with Gueant and for several press
    leaks involving Aziz and the late President Bongo of Gabon.
    Serman said that Bourgi should not be viewed in any manner as
    a representative or spokesman for the GOF, including with
    respect to his most recent activities in Madagascar to
    promote himself and his business interests. END SUMMARY.

    MAURITANIA

    XXXXXXXXXXXX

    AZIZ'S VISIT TO PARIS

    ¶5. (C) Serman confirmed press reports that junta leader
    Aziz traveled to Paris and met with Presidential
    Secretary-General Claude Gueant on June 12. Serman said the
    visit was engineered by businessman and self-styled AF
    lobbyist Robert Bourgi, who had ties to Gueant and to
    President Sarkozy pre-dating Sarkozy's election to the
    presidency (see below for further on Bourgi). Bourgi
    encouraged Aziz to make a "private" visit, flew Aziz to
    France on one of his own planes, and arranged the meeting
    with Gueant. Serman, who did not attend the Aziz-Gueant
    meeting, understood that it consisted largely of a discussion
    of the growing terrorism problem in the Sahel, a subject of
    keen interest to Gueant. Serman said that they "undoubtedly"

    PARIS 00000815 002 OF 002

    discussed the situation in Mauritania but he could offer no
    details.

    FRENCH CONCERN ABOUT TERRORISM IN THE SAHEL

    ¶6. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX

    (C/NF) ROBERT BOURGI

    ¶7. (C/NF) Serman's mention of Bourgi allowed us to ask
    about his role and influence, a subject of episodic reporting
    in the press, where Bourgi is depicted as one of the last
    "France-Afrique" fixers, middlemen, operators, and
    businessmen. Serman said that Bourgi had longstanding ties
    to Gueant and Sarkozy but that he was first and foremost a
    self-promoting businessman looking out for his own interests.
    A true wheeler-dealer, Bourgi's main "client" had been
    Gabon's recently-deceased President Bongo. Bourgi also had
    ties to ROC's Sassou Nguesso and to Senegal's Wade, although
    these were less significant than his ties to Bongo.

    ¶8. (C/NF) Serman said that Bourgi was rapidly burning his
    bridges, however, and this was causing his influence to drop
    precipitously among the French and Africans as well. Bourgi
    was the source of the press leak announcing Bongo's death
    before the Gabonese were prepared to make the announcement
    themselves. This leak angered Bongo's family. Serman
    reported that Sarkozy was also unhappy about the leak,
    especially since the information was attributed in the press
    to "a source close to the French government," which tended to
    make observers think that the GOF was responsible for the
    leak or tacitly approved of it, which was not the case.

    ¶9. (C/NF) The French were also annoyed that Bourgi leaked
    the fact of Aziz's meeting with Gueant to the press. Aziz's
    visit to France was supposed to be private, as was his
    meeting with Gueant. In Serman's view, Bourgi leaked news of
    the event in an effort to demonstrate his continuing clout
    after the Bongo episode. Serman said this was backfiring,
    however, as the French, including especially Sarkozy and
    Gueant, were not at all pleased with the leak. Serman said
    that Bourgi "is no fool, but sometimes it seems he can't help
    himself when there's an opportunity for self-promotion, even
    if he knows it might cost him."

    ¶10. (C/NF) Although Madagascar was not his area of
    expertise, Serman was aware of Bourgi's attempts to play a
    "fixer" role there amidst the current political turmoil,
    "which gives him an opportunity to place himself in the thick
    of things.". Serman said that Bourgi was eager to score new
    business in response to the potential loss of the Gabon
    account and his alienation of the Bongo clan. Serman said
    that Bourgi also had new rivals for influence, with the
    opening up of the old "France-Afrique" network that Sarkozy
    has encouraged since taking office; this too was causing
    Bourgi to scramble for new business. Speaking with emphasis,
    Serman said that "you should be aware that in Madagascar and
    everywhere else he is active, Bourgi does not represent the
    French government and does not speak for us. And you should
    tell everybody else that too."

    ¶11. (C/NF) Serman concluded by noting that Bourgi often
    used "La Lettre du Continent," the bi-weekly, Paris-based
    newsletter covering principally francophone Africa, as the
    vehicle for his news leaks. Serman advised that anything
    appearing in "La Lettre" smacking of a possible Bourgi
    connection should be read with caution, and that one should
    keep in mind that Bourgi's primary objective was
    self-promotion for the purpose of self-enrichment.

    .
    PEKALA

`