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7. (C) Marechaux remarked that Ratsiraka had also injected himself into the turmoil by proposing that he, as Madagascar’s senior military man, be considered to run any military-based transitional body. Marechaux said that Ratsiraka, while ambitious, probably could be placated into dropping out if either side promised to give him a house and other emoluments in recognition of his past accomplishments. Marechaux confided that France had promised that it would medevac Ratsiraka if the need arose. Marechaux said that Ratsiraka, in essence, needed to have his ego stroked and then would likely exit center stage.
DIPLOMATIC « GRAY ZONE » AND EU AID STRICTURES
8. (C) Marechaux said that French relations with Madagascar had entered into a bit of a gray zone, with the new French Ambassador not having presented his credentials, so as not to legitimize the HAT. France was adhering to the EU’s restrictions on not providing new non-humanitarian assistance to Madagascar. Marechaux indicated that the EU was interpreting this ban quite narrowly. He said that France had wanted to provide 1.5 million euros (about 2.1 million USD) for a small project to clean up waste and pollutants at a certain site in Antananarivo. The EU blocked this as « development assistance » despite the obvious public health aspect to the project.
NO FRENCH PLANE FOR MADAGASCAR
9. (C) Responding to issues raised in ref A e-mail, Marechaux said he was not aware of France’s providing Madagascar with a military plane, and he doubted that any such project was in train. However, he said he would investigate and contact us if necessary. He noted that there had been an earlier program to provide Madagascar with small surveillance planes that were used to spot cattle rustling, which he said was an endemic problem. He speculated that any such plane to be delivered might be in connection with that (non-military) program. But he repeated that he had no knowledge of any such transfer of a plane either now or in the recent past.
MADAGASCAR’S EMBASSY IN PARIS
10. (C) Marechaux said that the GOF was trying not to become involved in the dispute at Madagascar’s Embassy in Paris where factions within the Embassy were fighting for control over the Embassy and its buildings. The police have been told to provide protection and maintain law and order outside the grounds of the Embassy but not to enter the facility, except in exigent circumstances such as a fire or gunshots and the like. Marechaux said that fights among Embassy staff had broken out over whether Ravalomanana’s or Rajoelina’s portrait adorned the walls, with supporters of both factions changing locks and trying to assert control. Marechaux said that one of the Embassy counselors has been designated by Antananarivo as charge d’affaires, a.i., but that a woman with no diplomatic credentials who had recently shown up had been sending diplomatic notes and otherwise acting as if in charge. (NOTE : We believe this woman to be Rakotomanga Hajanirina, according to what Malgache Ambassador Narisoa told us on June 16. END NOTE.) Marechaux regretted this situation but said that the Embassy, even before Ravalomanana’s ouster, was largely out of the loop concerning bilateral relations, with most issues managed by the French Embassy in Antananarivo working with the central government.
(C/NF) ROBERT BOURGI
PARIS 00000848 003 OF 003
11. (C/NF) As had his colleague Romain Serman (ref B, paras 7-11), Marechaux expressed discomfort with private businessman and behind-the-scenes fixer Robert Bourgi’s apparent involvement in Madagascar. He said that Bourgi had no prior experience with Madagascar but had been asked to get involved by Patrick Lelu (phonetic), a Franco-Malgache businessman and advisor to several leading Malgache figures. Marechaux said that Bourgi, looking for new business after the death of Gabon’s President Bongo, was eager to seek new opportunities in Madagascar. Marechaux repeated that Bourgi was not in any way associated with the GOF and was interested only in exploiting his own opportunities.
Crise politique de 2009 à Madagascar in wikileaks.org (https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09PARIS848_a.html)