NIGERIA: ECOWAS NAMES COORDINATOR FOR COTE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 003340

SIPDIS


PARIS FOR NEARY


E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2012
TAGS: PREL MOPS MASS KPKO NI IV
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: ECOWAS NAMES COORDINATOR FOR COTE
D'IVOIRE; SENEGAL APPOINTS FORCE COMMANDER; GBAGBO TO
PROPOSE RECONCILIATION PACKAGE

CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR HOWARD F. JETER FOR REASONS 1.5
(B) AND (D).



1. (C) During a December 19 telephone conversation,
Nigerian Presidential Envoy on Conflict Resolution Raph
Uwechue told Ambassador Jeter that he had been appointed
the Special ECOWAS Representative to Cote d'Ivoire.
Uwechue said his role would be to coordinate ECOWAS'
political and military efforts in Cote d'Ivoire. He
planned to sort out the precise details of his job with
ECOWAS ExecSec Mohammed Ibn Chambas when Chambas returns to
Abuja today or tomorrow from the December 18, Dakar summit.



2. (C) Uwechue also confirmed that the Senegalese had
named Presidential Military Advisor General Kahlil Fall as
the commander of the proposed ECOWAS peacekeeping force in
Cote d'Ivoire.



3. (C) According to Uwechue, Ivoirian President Laurent
Gbgabo plans to propose a reconciliation plan to the rebels
in the near future. Uwechue said Gbagbo would share the
details of his plan with the ECOWAS leadership soon.



4. (C) Finally, when asked by the Ambassador about the
heads-of-state reaction to the proposed Paris summit,
Uweche said none of the participants in the talks in Kara,
Abidjan, or Dakar had raised the issue.



5. (C) COMMENT: Uwechue called the Ambassador at 0800 this
morning, shortly after he returned from Dakar. We will
follow up with him in a few days after his planned
discussion with Chambas to ascertain the next steps that
ECOWAS plans to take. Uwechue also noted in the
conversation with the Ambassador that Nigeria might be
planning to deploy forces as part of the still unrealized
ECOWAS peacekeeping force. END COMMENT.
JETER