NIGERIA: MFA COMMENTS ON ZIMBABWE, DISCUSSION OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 002204 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/23/2013 TAGS: PREL ZI NI LY IZ SUBJECT: NIGERIA: MFA COMMENTS ON ZIMBABWE, DISCUSSION OF LIBYA AND IRAQ REF: A. STATE 345870 ¶B. STATE 345785 CLASSIFIED BY COUNSELOR JAMES MAXSTADT FOR REASONS 1.5 B AND ¶D. ¶1. (C) MFA Regions Director (a mid-point between Nigeria's P and regional A/S equivalents) Olusaumokun told PolCouns December 23 that President Obasanjo was very satisfied after his Geneva meeting with Zimbabwean President Mugabe earlier in December. Obasanjo intends to send Nigerian FM Adeniji to Harare in January, according to Olusaumokun, and hopes to see a reconciliation agreement in Zimbabwe by March to include Mugabe's agreement to step down. ¶2. (C) Olusaumokun noted that Obasanjo's Geneva meeting and RSA President Mbeki's more recent trip to Harare were a bit of an exchange of roles. Obasanjo strongly favors reconciliation between the government and opposition, and normally meets with both toward that end -- though it was not possible to do so in Geneva. Mbeki, Olusaumokun thought, usually concentrated on Mugabe, instead of the government and the MDC both, and Mbeki's engaging the opposition was a welcome departure in Nigeria's view. Interestingly, Olusaumokun knew of Mugabe's promise of serious talks with the MDC in January, but did not mention it among the reasons he said Obasanjo believed a reconciliation agreement was possible by March. -------------- IRAQ AND LIBYA -------------- ¶3. (C) PolCouns took the opportunity to go over the reftels' information on Saddam's arrest and U.S. Reaction to Libya's WMD admission. Olusaumokun expressed appreciation that Libya seemed to be moving forward on many fronts to change its position, and he hoped that Libya would take a more cooperative approach within Africa as well. On Iraq, Olusaumokun said he had no substantive MFA reaction. Roberts