HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH BRIEFS AMBASSADOR ON MEETING

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 001159

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2014
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV ASEC NI
SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH BRIEFS AMBASSADOR ON MEETING
WITH PRESIDENT OBASANJO

REF: A. ABUJA 1041


B. ABUJA 971 AND PREVIOUS

C. 03 ABUJA 1034 AND PREVIOUS

D. ABUJA 1158

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN CAMPBELL FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D)


1. (U) Summary: Human Rights Watch (HRW) representatives
briefed the Ambassador about a meeting with President
Obasanjo and various ministers. They said Obasanjo did not
engage HRW on the GON's inadequate response to violence in
Nigeria, and refused to budge on the issue of Charles
Taylor's extradition. End Summary.


2. (U) On the morning of June 29, the Ambassador met with
Kenneth Roth, the New York-based Executive Director of HRW,
and Carina Tertsakian, HRW's London-based Nigeria Researcher.
Also present were Acting POL Section Head and Poloff
(note-taker). HRW briefed the Ambassador on a June 28
early-morning meeting with President Obasanjo and about 10
others, whom HRW described as ministers.


3. (U) At the June 28 meeting, HRW said they stressed to
Obasanjo the need for GON progress in responding to violence
in Nigeria: election-related violence, communal violence
(reftels A and B),and violence committed by the security
forces. HRW cited examples of impunity, delays in deploying
security forces, and heavy-handed responses by security
forces. According to HRW, Obasanjo declined to engage on the
topic. Regarding the Benue State massacre at Zaki Biam by
security forces in 2001, Obasanjo asked, "What do you expect
if 19 soldiers are killed?" He also said that military forces
are trained to kill, and were simply carrying out their
training. When HRW pressed the issue of the Benue massacre,
Obasanjo and the ministers "shut down" and impatiently urged
HRW to "move on" and "stop going on" about it.


4. (SBU) HRW reported that the meeting became "testy" at
various times, particularly when Chief Kanu Agabi, Special
Advisor to the President for Ethics and Good Governance,
demanded that debt relief be considered a human rights issue.
HRW characterized Agabi as a "disaster".


5. (SBU) HRW asked Obasanjo about a Commission of Inquiry
regarding Zaki Biam. Obasanjo replied that a white paper is
available. HRW had no knowledge of the white paper. See
Embassy comment below.


6. (U) HRW also discussed foreign policy issues with
Obasanjo, who was noncommittal on the Darfur situation.


7. (U) Obasanjo repeated to HRW that he would turn over
Charles Taylor only at the request of a democratically
elected Liberian government. HRW argued that Taylor has a
destabilizing effect on West Africa. Otherwise, as with
violence in Nigeria, HRW indicated that Obasanjo would not
engage.


8. (U) The Ambassador invited HRW to visit again at the
conclusion of their visit to Nigeria and made a tentative
appointment for July 13.

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Comment
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9. (C) Although the "others" attending the meeting were
probably a mix of ministers and special advisors, not just
ministers, it is noteworthy that Obasanjo gave HRW a full
hour of his time with himself and these high-level staffers.
Obasanjo was likely repaying a favor: during his
imprisonment from 1995-1998 for "coup plotting" against
Abacha, HRW worked with the National Democratic Coalition
(NADECO),a broad-based coalition of Nigerian NGOs,
continually calling for Obasanjo's release from prison.


10. (C) The white paper on the Benue State massacre was
given by President Obasanjo to former Ambassador Jeter on
June 11, 2003 (reftel C),but was never released publicly, to
the Embassy's knowledge.


11. (C) Obasanjo's refusal to engage on the Benue massacre
or on Charles Taylor has been consistent. For now, the GON
is not likely to take action on the Benue massacre. On the
Taylor issue, Obasanjo is probably keeping an eye on public
opinion. If important Nigerians begin to call for Taylor's
extradition, Obasanjo may find a way to evict Taylor at the
"request" of either Liberia or Sierra Leone. But, for now,
he appears resistant to pressure from outside Nigeria on the
Taylor issue.
CAMPBELL