CONTACTING OBASANJO ON ETHIOPIAN ELECTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 000850

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF, AF/E

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/26/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM ET NI
SUBJECT: CONTACTING OBASANJO ON ETHIOPIAN ELECTION

REF: A. TUCKER-CAMPBELL E-MAIL 5/25/05

B. ABUJA 809 AND 651

Classified By: Ambassador John Campbell for Reasons 1.4 (B & D).


1. (C) Upon receipt of Ref A e-mail containing State 93687,
we began asking for a meeting with President Obasanjo to
deliver the talking points therein on how the AU is treating
the Ethiopian election. Obasanjo is still in Paris on a
four-day visit to France and is not expected to return to
Nigeria until at least May 27, perhaps later if he goes to
Addis Ababa for Darfur consultations. We have made a formal
request to the Foreign Ministry to see Obasanjo, but expect
that would be granted no sooner than Saturday May 28 and more
likely May 31 or later because May 29 and 30 are a Nigerian
holiday.


2. (C) Given the time sensitivity of election action
continuing to move forward in Ethiopia, it may be best for
the Department (or Embassy Paris) to contact Obasanjo in
Paris before his scheduled departure there in the morning of
Friday May 27. Post also advises that USG interlocutors
discussing election problems anywhere in Africa with Obasanjo
read Reftels B on his model for his and AU responses --
specifically that the AU (or in Togo's case ECOWAS) would
judge an election to be democratic enough for AU standards
and then press both the proclaimed winner(s) and loser(s) to
form a national unity government.
CAMPBELL