UNCLAS ABUJA 000677

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E FOR ANNE PENCE
EB/IFD/OIA FOR MARSHA KELLEY AND TIM HAUSER
INL/C FOR DAVID LUNA AND JOHN BRANDOLINO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV KCOR ECON EAID NI
SUBJECT: PROGRESS OF G-8 TRANSPARENCY/ANTI-CORRUPTION
WORKING GROUP (GETAWG) IN NIGERIA

REF: ABUJA 393

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. NOT FOR PUBLISHING ON INTERNET
OR INTRANET.


1. (SBU) The G-8 embassies, IMF, and World Bank in Abuja
created the G-8 Transparency/Anti-corruption Working Group
(GETAWG) here in March, and have moved forward with
preparations for the Nigeria pilot program under Evian per
reftel and e-mails from E, EB and AF. GETAWG has begun a
"living document" matrix of transparency and anti-corruption
programs in Nigeria funded by the G-8, World Bank and IMF
directly, and indirectly through the EU and UNDP (which also
sit in at GETAWG meetings). That matrix will be ready for
beginning negotiations with the GON on a comprehensive
Technical Plan after the next GETAWG meeting May 3, and the
GON says it will be ready to work with us from that point.


2. (SBU) Meetings on March 22 and April 2 produced a GETAWG
consensus on moving forward with the GON on both the joint
Political Statement and the comprehensive Technical Plan in
order to have both rolled out as a Compact at the June 8-10
Sea Island G-8 Summit. It will be a very tight schedule, and
GETAWG members here have not received cleared instructions
for the Political Statement from G-8 capitals. Internally,
GETAWG is chaired by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, as the U.S.
will host the G-8 Summit, and the chair will pass to the UK
when it becomes Summit host for the next year. The UK High
Commission told us it did not want to share the chair this
year, although we believe that it will be both U.S. and UK
chiefs of mission who will represent GETAWG in formal
discussions with the GON on either or both parts of the
Compact. Most other GETAWG members are quite happy to leave
to the U.S./UK all interaction with the GON on the Compact,
in part because they all seem to be having trouble getting
instructions from capitals.


3. (SBU) PolCouns met with GON anti-corruption coordinator
Oby Ezekwesili on April 16 to discuss a timetable for
building the Compact in time for rollout at Sea Island. She
believes, as GETAWG does, that rolling out a joint Political
Statement and comprehensive Technical Plan will be difficult
but possible by Sea Island. When the GON Economic Team
returns to Abuja from Brussels and Washington around April
26, it will organize itself that week in order to meet with
GETAWG here in the first or at latest second week of May to
compare GETAWG's Matrix with what they see as
existing/desired GON initiatives for the Technical Plan.
Their presentation on the Technical Plan will be organized
around those GON initiatives, not G-8 programs, and
discussions on this track will essentially be a mapping
exercise of comparing the two and identifying gaps. Time
considerations before Sea Island will decide how detailed
that mapping process becomes, and work will continue after
Sea Island on both more detail and implementation.


4. (SBU) Ezekwesili strongly urged that the GON not be
presented with any G-8 negotiating draft, model or even model
elements for the joint Political Statement part of the
Compact. The GON would strongly prefer to draft the
Political Statement and negotiate it with us, and wants to be
able to say the G-8 signed on to their draft and not the
other way around. If the G-8 wishes to use their draft or
the signed agreement as a model for other pilots, they have
no objection. The GON would hope to present us a draft joint
Political Statement early in May too, she said, and work that
simultaneously with, but probably in separate meetings from,
work with us on the Technical Plan. Ezekwesili said the GON
goal is to have the joint Political Statement encompass the
goals of the comprehensive Technical Plan, as well as setting
out overall goals and benchmarks. She said she guesses
President Obasanjo would rather roll out the total Compact
during his NEPAD presentation at Sea Island, instead of
having it rolled out separately as a G-8 anti-corruption
program.


5. (SBU) COMMENT: The GON's desire for ownership of the
Political Statement draft happens to coincide with GETAWG
internal dynamics in Abuja. While all GETAWG members have
contributed to both the programs matrix and lively discussion
upon it, none have been willing to contribute proposals on
what they want in the Political Statement. Even the UK High
Commission and DfID here have not provided ideas, not being
sure what London wants and remaining a little suspicious that
G-8 meetings in Washington have not produced agreement on
guidance for the Political Statement.
ROBERTS