GHANA'S RESPONSE TO SECRETARY RICE'S ECOWAS MESSAGE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ACCRA 000549

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2015
TAGS: GH LI OPDC PHUM PREL TOGO'>TO
SUBJECT: GHANA'S RESPONSE TO SECRETARY RICE'S ECOWAS MESSAGE

REF: STATE 45504

Classified By: POL CHIEF SCOTT TICKNOR FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D.


1. (C) Summary: D.K. Osei, Secretary to the President,
told Emboffs that Ghana would support the U.S. on bringing
Charles Taylor to justice, as addressed in Secretary Rice's
recent letter to President Kufuor. However, the support
"would not be very loud." The GOG is concerned that seeking
justice for Taylor before conditions are sufficiently stable
in Liberia could do more harm than good. Foreign Minister
Akufo Addo will attend the March 21 Stockholm meeting. On
TOGO, President Kufuor quietly pressed Gnassingbe to step
down and is working behind the scenes to ensure TOGO remains
on a stable, democratic path, according to the President's
Chief of Staff. End summary.


Quiet Support On Charles Taylor
--------------


2. (C) On March 15, post delivered a letter with reftel
message from Secretary Rice to President Kufuor, with a copy
to Foreign Minister Nana Akufo Addo. Ambassador followed up
with calls to the Foreign Minister and President's Office.
Ambassador D.K. Osei, Secretary to the President, said he
needed to consult the Foreign Minister, who was currently
traveling and would be attending the March 21 Stockholm
meeting on Liberia and the Mano River Union. PolChief and
EconChief followed up with a March 17 meeting with Osei, who
said that Ghana would support the U.S. on bringing Charles
Taylor to justice, and that President Kufuor would clearly
indicate so in a written response to Secretary Rice's letter.
Osei said he would draft the response letter but hold it for
the Foreign Minister to review upon his return from
Stockholm. (Post will not receive it until after the
Stockholm meeting.)


3. (C) Osei was clear, however, that Ghana's support on
bringing Charles Taylor to justice "would not be very loud",
and the GOG would not want to make speeches supporting this
position. Ghana believes in principle that Taylor should and
will face justice eventually, Osei explained. However, the
timing of the justice process is critical. Liberia is still
highly unstable, with many of Taylor's armed supporters still
in a position to cause trouble. At least now, Taylor cannot
directly influence Liberian politics. Bringing Taylor to
court too early could do more harm than good in Liberia, Osei
said. He also noted that Ghana, as then-ECOWAS Chair, had
to agree to many deals to get Taylor to step down. Reneging
on these deals could prejudice future such efforts.

Quiet Pressure on TOGO
--------------


4. (C) In a March 17 meeting with PolChief and EconChief,
Presidential Chief of Staff Kwadwo Mpiani described Ghana's
approach to the TOGO crisis as "delicate" because of Ghana's
shared border, ethnicities, and security concerns. "Half of
Lome is in Ghana," he remarked. Ghana supported ECOWAS but
had to deal with some issues quietly. President Kufuor has
played a role behind the scenes in convincing Gnassingbe to
"do what's right" in TOGO, according to Mpiani. Gnassingbe
listens to Kufuor "like a father", which is an important
reason why TOGO has remained calm, Mpiani said. Mpiani hoped
TOGO would have a successful, free and fair election, and
hoped the U.S. would support with election observers.

Comment
--------------


5. (C) On both Liberia and TOGO, President Kufuor appears
cautious and pragmatic, preferring quiet diplomacy aimed at
keeping the neighborhood stable. Osei has the President's
ear on many issues and appeared open and candid about Ghana's
nuanced position on the Taylor issue. It is not clear
whether he had had a conversation with the Foreign Minister
about Secretary Rice's letter, although he said the Minister
would deliver the message Osei shared with us to the US
delegation if they have an opportunity to talk in Stockholm.


YATES


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