SHARING INFO ON CHARLES TAYLOR'S ACTIVITIES IN

S E C R E T ABUJA 000312

SIPDIS

NOFORN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2014
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL IO LI SL NI
SUBJECT: SHARING INFO ON CHARLES TAYLOR'S ACTIVITIES IN
CALABAR

REF: STATE 11217

Classified By: CDA RICK L ROBERTS FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D)


1. (S/NF) February 23, CDA delivered reftel demarche on
Charles Taylor's continuing efforts to influence events in
Liberia to Minister of Foreign Affairs Olu Adeniji. Adeniji
reiterated the GON's commitment to preventing Taylor from
influencing events in Liberia, noting that the GON had warned
Taylor on several occasions not to meddle in Liberian
affairs. While Adeniji expressed concern over the
difficulties inherent in trying to monitor Taylor's cellular
and satellite phone conversations, he believed the GON had
Taylor's activities under control and that he did not at the
moment represent a significant threat to Liberian stability.


2. (S/NF) Overall, Adeniji seemed nonplused by the
information on Taylor's recent activities provided in reftel.
Reminding us that he had heard similar warnings of the dire
threat posed by Sam Bouake when he was in Sierra Leone in the
early 1990s, Adeniji commented that even the best
intelligence "can be exaggerated." Adeniji went on to say
that it was hard to believe Taylor was financing his
loyalists in Liberia when his cash reserves have been so
depleted that he recently considered selling his personal
jet. Finally, Adeniji commented that he had been in contact
with Liberian interim leader Gyude Bryant and had not heard
any complaints about Taylor's influence from him. Adeniji
said he would raise the issue when he sees Bryant at the
upcoming AU conference in Libya.


3. (S/NF) COMMENT: We have raised the issue of Taylor's
influence in Liberia on multiple occasions over the last
several months, and have been met with the same GON response
each time. The GON is certainly aware of Taylor's meetings
with Salame in Calabar and contacts with his loyalists in
Liberia. Nigerian troops are deployed to UNMIL's
peacekeeping mission in Liberia, giving the GON every reason
to clamp down on Taylor's activities if it thought he was a
significant threat. With the GON not believing Taylor is a
major threat to Liberia from Calabar, a stronger and probably
different case will have to be made to the Nigerians to get
them to take action against him. END COMMENT.
ROBERTS