Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04ACCRA1581
2004-07-30 13:43:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Accra
Cable title:
ACCRA III MARCHES ON BEHIND CLOSED DOORS - LIBERIA
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 USNW-00 DODE-00 DS-00 EAP-00 UTED-00 VC-00 H-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00 VCE-00 AC-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIG-00 OMB-00 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 SS-00 TEST-00 TRSE-00 T-00 FMP-00 IIP-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-00 G-00 SAS-00 /000W ------------------483517 301344Z /38 FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6626 INFO ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN PRIORITY AMEMBASSY ABUJA PRIORITY AMEMBASSY MONROVIA PRIORITY
UNCLAS ACCRA 001581
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL GH ECOWAS
SUBJECT: ACCRA III MARCHES ON BEHIND CLOSED DOORS - LIBERIA
REVIEW COMPLETED
------
SUMMARY
-------
UNCLAS ACCRA 001581
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL GH ECOWAS
SUBJECT: ACCRA III MARCHES ON BEHIND CLOSED DOORS - LIBERIA
REVIEW COMPLETED
--------------
SUMMARY
--------------
1. (U) There was slow progress on the first day of the Accra
III talks on Cote d'Ivoire. Led by President Kufuor and UN
Secretary General Annan, all the key parties were in
SIPDIS
attendance as well as several (mainly West) African heads of
state, UN, ECOWAS, AU, and Francophone representatives, and
eleven political parties from Cote d'Ivoire. The Presidents
and Secretary-General met behind closed doors with the four
main leaders from Cote d'Ivoire - Gbagbo, Bedie, Ouattara,
and Soro. A press conference scheduled late in the afternoon
was cancelled. The talks (which were hoped to last only one
day) resumed on July 30, with Liberia bumped to the morning's
agenda and Cote d'Ivoire to be resumed later today, due to
SYG Annan's, Nigerian President Obasanjo's, and others'
travel schedules. Before departing, Obasanjo called for
continued peace in Liberia, was generally positive on Cote
d'Ivoire talks, and urged greater attention to the Darfur
crisis. A communique summarizing the talks is expected later
this afternoon. Remainder of talks will be covered in septel.
End summary.
--------------
KUFUOR AND ANNAN SET THE TONE
--------------
2. (U) SYG Annan urged flexibility and compromise by all
parties. In a speech distributed to the public on July 29, he
noted that the following priorities would drive the Accra III
talks:
- clarifying the delegation of powers from the President to
the Prime Minister
- presidential eligibility
- adopting and implementing legislation under the
Linas-Marcoussis Agreement
- ending human rights violations and establishing a National
Human Rights Commission
- setting a comprehensive timetable for Disarmament,
Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR)
- working with international organizations to restore public
services
- setting the stage for free and fair elections in October
2005
3. (SBU) President Kufuor opened the ECOWAS summit with
remarks that were not released to the public. He noted the
past and ongoing efforts to restore peace to Cote d'Ivoire.
He identified "excessive legalities" as the main barrier to
the peace process thus far, and stated that "a new tackle
that will place more emphasis on a political situation is
needed." Kufuor put the onus on Gbagbo and the Ivorian
opposition parties to resolve the crisis, and proposed the
closed-door agenda described in para 1. He additionally
proposed smaller groups of presidents meeting with the
various Ivorian parties later in the day, and then regrouping
to prepare a public communique on the outcome.
--------------
CLOSED DOORS, TIGHT LIPS
--------------
4. (U) The plenary session on July 29 commenced at 11:00,
after the key delegates had arrived. Press were permitted
only for a photo-op, and members of the diplomatic community
were not allowed in the conference facility. No agenda was
made public, and the delegates were notably quiet over lunch.
The SYG, heads of state, Chairperson of the Commission of the
AU, ECOWAS Executive Secretary Chambas, and the Ivorian
parties worked behind closed doors through lunch.
5. (U) Only two opposition leaders, Soro and Ouattara, made
statements to the press while the talks were ongoing on July
29. Neither of their comments were inflammatory and were both
cautious in their assessment of the conference's progress.
6. (U) Diplomats were invited to a press conference that was
scheduled for 4:00, but was eventually cancelled as the talks
continued into early evening. No statement was issued.
Sources close to the talks implied that mid-level delegates
(e.g., foreign ministers, West African ambassadors, members
of Kufuor's press office, and Ghana's MFA) also felt
uninformed about the substantive content of the talks. There
was much speculation, but little information.
7. (U) One press official remarked that the talks were going
long because "Gbagbo's being difficult". Another source close
to the talks commented that the delegation was putting more
pressure on Gbagbo than on the opposition parties to restore
peace to Cote d'Ivoire.
-------------- --------------
LIBERIA ON THE AGENDA, AND CONTINUED 'BUZZ' ABOUT DARFUR
-------------- --------------
8. (U) When it was clear that the Ivorian peace talks would
carry over to July 30, the Liberia review was shifted up in
the agenda so SYG Annan, Obasanjo, and others could
participate before their departures.
9. (U) In spite of rumors about Darfur appearing on the
program at Accra III, the topic was absent from the formal
agenda. In Ghanaian Foreign Minister Akufo-Addo's words, "the
ECOWAS summit is dealing with West African issues. Darfur is
an African issue, but it is not the focus of this meeting."
He surmised that Darfur would arise as a topic in informal
discussions but underscored that it would not be on the
formal agenda. Obasanjo's comments on his departure on July
30, indicate that it did arise on the margins.
10. (U) Obasanjo spoke about three issues on his July 30
midday departure:
- On Liberia, he said that the interim government had not
been consulting other parties as agreed, and had been acting
unilaterally. A 'mediation committee' of foreign ministers
has been set up to ensure that the comprehensive peace
agreement holds.
- On Cote d'Ivoire, Obasanjo said that while he could not
stay through the afternoon's talks, he expected agreement to
be reached by all parties by the end of the day.
- On Darfur, he said the recently-returned fact-finding
mission found the situation in Darfur has "rapidly
deteriorated". African heads of state are urging the GoS to
ensure peace for all Sudanese people. There is currently
discussion of sending African troops in to assist with the
"woefully inadequate" security provisions that are there, a
prospect that the GoS is reportedly open to.
--------------
COMMENT
--------------
11. (U) It is too early to draw conclusions on the success or
failure of the Accra III talks. That there was concerted
effort by all parties not to say too much publicly suggests
serious commitment to the substantive work that was taking
place behind closed doors. End comment.
YATES
NNNN
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL GH ECOWAS
SUBJECT: ACCRA III MARCHES ON BEHIND CLOSED DOORS - LIBERIA
REVIEW COMPLETED
--------------
SUMMARY
--------------
1. (U) There was slow progress on the first day of the Accra
III talks on Cote d'Ivoire. Led by President Kufuor and UN
Secretary General Annan, all the key parties were in
SIPDIS
attendance as well as several (mainly West) African heads of
state, UN, ECOWAS, AU, and Francophone representatives, and
eleven political parties from Cote d'Ivoire. The Presidents
and Secretary-General met behind closed doors with the four
main leaders from Cote d'Ivoire - Gbagbo, Bedie, Ouattara,
and Soro. A press conference scheduled late in the afternoon
was cancelled. The talks (which were hoped to last only one
day) resumed on July 30, with Liberia bumped to the morning's
agenda and Cote d'Ivoire to be resumed later today, due to
SYG Annan's, Nigerian President Obasanjo's, and others'
travel schedules. Before departing, Obasanjo called for
continued peace in Liberia, was generally positive on Cote
d'Ivoire talks, and urged greater attention to the Darfur
crisis. A communique summarizing the talks is expected later
this afternoon. Remainder of talks will be covered in septel.
End summary.
--------------
KUFUOR AND ANNAN SET THE TONE
--------------
2. (U) SYG Annan urged flexibility and compromise by all
parties. In a speech distributed to the public on July 29, he
noted that the following priorities would drive the Accra III
talks:
- clarifying the delegation of powers from the President to
the Prime Minister
- presidential eligibility
- adopting and implementing legislation under the
Linas-Marcoussis Agreement
- ending human rights violations and establishing a National
Human Rights Commission
- setting a comprehensive timetable for Disarmament,
Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR)
- working with international organizations to restore public
services
- setting the stage for free and fair elections in October
2005
3. (SBU) President Kufuor opened the ECOWAS summit with
remarks that were not released to the public. He noted the
past and ongoing efforts to restore peace to Cote d'Ivoire.
He identified "excessive legalities" as the main barrier to
the peace process thus far, and stated that "a new tackle
that will place more emphasis on a political situation is
needed." Kufuor put the onus on Gbagbo and the Ivorian
opposition parties to resolve the crisis, and proposed the
closed-door agenda described in para 1. He additionally
proposed smaller groups of presidents meeting with the
various Ivorian parties later in the day, and then regrouping
to prepare a public communique on the outcome.
--------------
CLOSED DOORS, TIGHT LIPS
--------------
4. (U) The plenary session on July 29 commenced at 11:00,
after the key delegates had arrived. Press were permitted
only for a photo-op, and members of the diplomatic community
were not allowed in the conference facility. No agenda was
made public, and the delegates were notably quiet over lunch.
The SYG, heads of state, Chairperson of the Commission of the
AU, ECOWAS Executive Secretary Chambas, and the Ivorian
parties worked behind closed doors through lunch.
5. (U) Only two opposition leaders, Soro and Ouattara, made
statements to the press while the talks were ongoing on July
29. Neither of their comments were inflammatory and were both
cautious in their assessment of the conference's progress.
6. (U) Diplomats were invited to a press conference that was
scheduled for 4:00, but was eventually cancelled as the talks
continued into early evening. No statement was issued.
Sources close to the talks implied that mid-level delegates
(e.g., foreign ministers, West African ambassadors, members
of Kufuor's press office, and Ghana's MFA) also felt
uninformed about the substantive content of the talks. There
was much speculation, but little information.
7. (U) One press official remarked that the talks were going
long because "Gbagbo's being difficult". Another source close
to the talks commented that the delegation was putting more
pressure on Gbagbo than on the opposition parties to restore
peace to Cote d'Ivoire.
-------------- --------------
LIBERIA ON THE AGENDA, AND CONTINUED 'BUZZ' ABOUT DARFUR
-------------- --------------
8. (U) When it was clear that the Ivorian peace talks would
carry over to July 30, the Liberia review was shifted up in
the agenda so SYG Annan, Obasanjo, and others could
participate before their departures.
9. (U) In spite of rumors about Darfur appearing on the
program at Accra III, the topic was absent from the formal
agenda. In Ghanaian Foreign Minister Akufo-Addo's words, "the
ECOWAS summit is dealing with West African issues. Darfur is
an African issue, but it is not the focus of this meeting."
He surmised that Darfur would arise as a topic in informal
discussions but underscored that it would not be on the
formal agenda. Obasanjo's comments on his departure on July
30, indicate that it did arise on the margins.
10. (U) Obasanjo spoke about three issues on his July 30
midday departure:
- On Liberia, he said that the interim government had not
been consulting other parties as agreed, and had been acting
unilaterally. A 'mediation committee' of foreign ministers
has been set up to ensure that the comprehensive peace
agreement holds.
- On Cote d'Ivoire, Obasanjo said that while he could not
stay through the afternoon's talks, he expected agreement to
be reached by all parties by the end of the day.
- On Darfur, he said the recently-returned fact-finding
mission found the situation in Darfur has "rapidly
deteriorated". African heads of state are urging the GoS to
ensure peace for all Sudanese people. There is currently
discussion of sending African troops in to assist with the
"woefully inadequate" security provisions that are there, a
prospect that the GoS is reportedly open to.
--------------
COMMENT
--------------
11. (U) It is too early to draw conclusions on the success or
failure of the Accra III talks. That there was concerted
effort by all parties not to say too much publicly suggests
serious commitment to the substantive work that was taking
place behind closed doors. End comment.
YATES
NNNN