NIGERIA: CHAMBAS BRIEFING ON ECOWAS MINISTERIAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 000662 SIPDIS CAIRO FOR POL - MAXSTADT E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2013 TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS PINS IV LI NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: CHAMBAS BRIEFING ON ECOWAS MINISTERIAL REF: A. STATE 88288 ¶B. ABIDJAN 817 CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR HOWARD F. JETER; REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. On April 9, ECOWAS ExecSec Chambas briefed the diplomatic corps on the April 7 ECOWAS Ministerial in Abidjan. The briefing was similar to the one he gave in Abijdan (REF B). Stressing the need for immediate funding to ensure ECOMICI's continued viability, Chambas stated that he would join a quintet of ECOWAS Foreign Ministers (Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, and Guinea) to tour potential donor countries starting April 28. See travel itinerary in paragraph 3. ¶2. (C) On a pull aside after the briefing, A/DCM delivered demarche to Chambas (REF A). A/DCM commented that ECOWAS should perhaps consider amending the travel schedule to include a donor conference. As developed, the schedule would not accommodate the conference until late May at the earliest and most likely not until June. Chambas was receptive to the idea of scheduling an earlier donor conference. ¶3. Travel intinerary: APRIL 28 - UN Headquarters (UNSC and UNSYG) APRIL 29 - Washington, D.C. APRIL 30 - Ottawa MAY 2 - Paris MAY 3 - Brussels MAY 5 - Berlin MAY 6 - The Hague MAY 7 - Rome MAY 8 - London MAY 12 - Mediation and Security Council, Abidjan MAY 13 - Extraordinary Summit of ECOWAS, Abuja Tentative trip to Tokyo scheduled after the ECOWAS summit. ¶4. Washington is scheduled for an April 29 visit. Chambas said that he would provide the U.S. and other donors with a breakdown of the ECOWAS budget request prior to beginning the donor capital tour. -------------- LIBERIA -------------- ¶5. Chambas said he had just come from a meeting with LURD representatives in Abuja. The LURD representatives would next travel to Accra to meet President Kufuor on April 10. Chambas noted that ECOWAS is considering asking one of two former Nigerian Heads of State to mediate between the GOL and the LURD (Chambas had previously mentioned Abdulsalaam to us; Chief Shonekan would be our educated guess as the other half of the tandem.). -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) Chambas' statement that ECOMICI would increase to 3,205 soldiers and expand its mandate to include monitoring of borders, disarmament, and protection of CDI officials raises questions of whether a force of this size can handle a mandate of this scope. However, for now, the pressing concern for ECOWAS is to find the funds to maintain ECOMICI at any troop level. This is where a donors conference could be instrumental and Chambas seemed to see the value of holding such a conference sooner rather than later. END COMMENT. JETER