NIGERIA: LIBERIA DEMARCHE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 001240 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/19/2013 TAGS: PREL MOPS MASS LI NI ECOWAS SUBJECT: NIGERIA: LIBERIA DEMARCHE REF: STATE 207082 CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR HOWARD F. JETER; REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) A/DCM delivered reftel demarche July 18 to Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Daniel Hart. Ambassador Hart said the USG position that the Nigerian contingent to be deployed to Liberia should be comprised of battalions trained under Operation Focus Relief (OFR) made "good sense." A/DCM Browne also expressed the need for as much clarity as possible in the total number of troops ECOWAS envisioned for the deployment and a precise breakdown of how many troops were to come from ECOWAS countries and how many were expected from outside ECOWAS. A/DCM emphasized to Hart that we had not made any decision on deployment of U.S. troops or any other assistance we might supply to the Liberian deployment, but that precise information on the composition of the proposed force was vital to U.S. planning. Hart said he would contact us after conferring with the Chief of Defense Staff on both issues. ¶2. (C) Finally, Ambassador Hart agreed all ECOWAS states must stop the flow of arms to Liberia and must exert pressure on the LURD and MODEL not to take action that would damage the cease-fire. He stated that the reason underlying President Obasanjo's recent visit to Conakry was to persuade the Guineans to use their influence to encourage the LURD behave responsibly. He recognized that fellow ECOWAS states must mount a sustained effort to preach this message to Conakry as well as to Abidjan with regard to Liberia's other anti-Taylor faction, MODEL. ¶3. (C) Discussion of recent developments in Sao Tome and Principe to be reported SEPTEL. JETER