EQUATORIAL GUINEA: SPANISH MFA ON ALLEGED COUP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 000825

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2014
TAGS: PREL PHUM SP EK
SUBJECT: EQUATORIAL GUINEA: SPANISH MFA ON ALLEGED COUP
PLOT AND INSTABILITY

Classified By: Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Polcouns, per 1.5 (b) and (d).

Summary


1. (C) President Obiang has demanded that Spain extradite to
Equatorial Guinea a political opponent who resides in Madrid,
Severo Moto, accused of sponsoring an alleged coup plot
uncovered this week. MFA has received no official request,
and would not transfer Moto if one were received. MFA
regards EG as being in a period of heightened instability,
with Obiang lashing out at his inner circle as well as the
opposition. End Summary.

No Formal Extradition Request Received


2. (C) The Spanish MFA has received no formal request from
the Government of Equatorial Guinea for the extradition of EG
opposition politician Severo Moto, who resides in Madrid and
heads a self-proclaimed EG government in exile. FM Palacio
said this publicly on March 9. Ildefonso Castro, Chief of
Staff to MFA Secretary of State Gil Casares, confirmed this
to us March 10. The EG government claims that Moto was
behind an alleged coup plot involving hiring mercenaries to
overthrow Obiang and kill his ministers. However, the only
EG request for extradition of Moto thus far has come from a
radio address from President Obiang in which he called on
Spain to extradite Moto to EG or risk harm to relations.
Obiang said that "Spain must decide it is with Moto or with
Guinea."

GOS Would Not Turn Over Moto


3. (C) Castro noted that the GOS response, as FM Palacio has
told the media, is that an extradition has to go through
judicial channels. Castro noted that only if the judiciary
were favorable would there be a political decision. He did
not envision any circumstance under which the GOS would turn
Moto over to the Obiang government, since Moto would not face
a fair trial. Moto, in comments to the Spanish media,
roundly denied any involvement in the plot and claimed it was
all an Obiang stunt to discredit the opposition. Moto said
that "it is Obiang's modus operandi: he is able to kill
people and then to blame us for it."

Conspiracy Theories


4. (C) Castro said it was unclear if the coup plot
allegations had validity. He said that the items taken off
the plane in Zimbabwe, where 64 supposed coup plotters were
intercepted, were not military supplies. He also doubted
that such a small number of mercenaries, plus a supposed 15
others on the ground in EG, were credible as a coup force.
Castro noted that the plane detained in Zimbabwe came from
South Africa, where Obiang recently went on private travel.
Speaking personally, Castro speculated that it is possible
that during his stay in South Africa, Obiang may have
arranged to stage the incident.


5. (U) In comments to the media March 9, FM Palacio
distanced Spain from the alleged plot. She said that "From
Spain, we can only say that we have warm relations with
Guinea and we support constitutional democratic regimes and
condemn any attempt to end the democratic order."

A Highly Unstable Situation


6. (C) Castro views the situation in EG as highly unstable.
This instability permeates even to Obiang's innermost
circle. Castro recounted how in December 2003 Obiang
arrested his cousin, Gen. Agustin Ndong, a top associate, for
allegedly plotting against him. Castro said that over a
hundred other suspects were rounded up in conjunction with
Ndong's arrest, most from Obiang's own tribe. (Castro noted
that Ndong is now in Spain (Las Palmas, Canaries) for medical
treatment after two suicide attempts; the most recent one
involved drinking poison which caused severe internal burns.)
Castro added that on March 6 the chief of security for the
continental region of EG, Nguema Eye (as heard),who was in
Obiang's inner circle, died in a traffic accident under
mysterious circumstances. Spanish MFA observers suspect
that Nguema may have been killed, possibly on Obiang's order.


7. (C) Castro concluded by noting that EG's territorial
dispute with Gabon, which affects oil concessions, further
adds to the instability. It was unclear, he said, what
France's role in this is. (Spanish media speculate that
France and/or French oil interests may be working to
overthrow Obiang.)
ARGYROS