NIGERIA: PROLIFERATION SECURITY INITIATIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 001708 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/30/2013 TAGS: KNNP MNUC PARM PREL NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: PROLIFERATION SECURITY INITIATIVE REF: A. STATE 272470 ¶B. STATE 254587 CLASSIFIED BY COUNSELOR JAMES MAXSTADT FOR REASONS 1.5 B AND ¶D. ¶1. (C) Embassy and the embassies of the other countries who participated in the Ref A demarche in Abuja delivering the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles received an substantive response from MFA Director for Regions Olusanmokun on September 30, after a joint meeting with him September 29. Olusanmokun responded that: -- Nigeria plays an active role in all such anti-terrorism and anti-proliferation frameworks, and in principle would be interested in participating in PSI if a role is offered. -- Nigeria likes the Statement's concrete approach, making Nigerian participation even more likely if asked. ¶2. (C) That said, Olusanmokun continued, the Nigerian Government (GON) believes no African countries currently have Weapons of Mass Destruction programs, and small-arms trafficking is a far more important and immediate problem for African governments. Nigeria would therefore like to see if the interdiction principles discussed in the PSI Statement could be combined with programs to disrupt the small-arms trade by land, sea and air. Both require similar intelligence, legal and military tools, Olusanmokun contended. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: In the group setting here with Mr. Olusanmokun, we were not able to raise the Ref A Question D talking point that PSI interdiction efforts may be able to use models from the prevention of narcotics trafficking. Participants at the PSI conference in London, however, may wish to discuss possible synergies with programs aimed at small-arms trafficking as well as narcotics trafficking programs, as a means of interesting African countries in the Initiative. MEECE