TFUS01: CALL TO PRESIDENT OBASANJO REGARDING AIR

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 002591

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2006
TAGS: PTER PREL NI
SUBJECT: TFUS01: CALL TO PRESIDENT OBASANJO REGARDING AIR
STRIKES

Classified by Ambassador Howard F. Jeter, reasons 1.5 (b) and
(d).


1.(C) I spoke by phone with President Obasanjo soon after
his October 7 telephone call from the White House during
which Vice President Cheney informed Obasanjo of our imminent
air strikes against terrorist targets in Afghanistan.
Obasanjo stated that he saw the value in VP Cheney's request
to call key West African Heads of State to shore up their
support for our action. To this end, the President said he
would immediately call his Senegalese, Malian and Ghanaian
colleagues that evening.


2.(C) Looking a bit closer to home, Obasanjo speculated that
Zamfara, Kano, Sokoto and possibly Kaduna could experience
public demonstrations as a result of our actions. As a
precaution, he had ordered security to be beefed up and
placed on heightened alert in those areas. I suggested that
he include often tumultuous Lagos in the increased security
coverage and emphasized the need for Nigerian security forces
to pay special attention to the protection of American lives
and property at this critical moment. Obasanjo said that he
understood our concern. He suggested that we share as much
information as possible with his security agencies, promising
that those agencies would reciprocate. Obasanjo requested
that I stay in close touch with his National Security
Advisor, Aliyu Mohammed, which I assured him I would do.
Jeter