NIGERIA: DEMARCHE ON BURUNDI DEPLOYMENT

S E C R E T ABUJA 003193

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR AF, AF/W, AF/RA


E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/13/2011
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR MOPS BE BY NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: DEMARCHE ON BURUNDI DEPLOYMENT


REF: A. STATE 210600

B. ABUJA 3039


(U) Classified by Ambassador Howard F. Jeter; Reasons 1.5 (b)
and (d).



1. (S) Post will raise points (Ref A) with the GON at the
earliest appropriate opportunity. However, Minister of State
for Defense (Army) Lawal Batagarawa will be in Washington
this week for meetings on the Hill and with the Department.
Batagarawa, who attended preparatory meetings in Arusha and
Pretoria, has been in charge of planning for the deployment.
Batagarawa's presence in Washington provides an excellent
opportunity for the Department to seek his perspective on the
deployment, and to convey our understanding of the situation
in Burundi.



2. (S) While we should raise concern, we believe that it
would be counter-productive to press the Nigerian Government
not to deploy to Burundi. We should not be seen as speaking
for Burundi, or South Africa, for that matter. In our view,
the best tack to pursue would be for us to convey to
Batagarawa an understanding that the South African contingent
is currently under-employed and ask Batagarawa if Abuja has
been in contact with Bujumbura about the deployment's timing.
Additionally, if Bujumbura does not want the Nigerian
deployment at this time, it would seem more appropriate that
the GOB directly communicate this preference to Pretoria and
Abuja. If we are the only ones carrying this message to the
Nigerians, we will be seen as interlopers, and uninvited
intruders, at that.



3. (S) Finally, Department should be prepared for Batagarawa
to raise his idea for a PKO deployment for debt swap
arrangement (Ref B).
Jeter