FRENCH VIEWS ON BAKASSI, CAMEROON ECONOMIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 000546

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/28/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV PBTS CM NI FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH VIEWS ON BAKASSI, CAMEROON ECONOMIC
SITUATION

REF: YAOUNDE 170

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) During Ambassador Marquardt's Paris consultations
January 28, Michel de Bonnecorse, President Chirac's advisor
on African affairs, stressed the importance of persuading
Nigerian President Obasanjo to comply with the ICJ ruling on
Bakassi.


2. (C) Bonnecorse said that at the Francophonie summit in
Ouagadougou, Obasanjo had tried to enlist Chirac's support
for proposals which would leave Nigeria in control of the
peninsula. Chirac, according to Bonnecorse, relayed the
proposal to Cameroonian President Biya who, fifteen days
later, responded that the Nigerian proposals were
unacceptable. Bonnecorse said that Biya was trying to avoid
reopening negotiations over the Bakassi settlement, which
Nigeria had tried to organize at Ouagadougou, under Algerian
auspices. Bonnecorse noted that Obasanjo had told Chirac
that his position was not based on petroleum interests, but
on the concerns of the Nigerians living in Bakassi about
being transferred to Cameroonian rule. Bonnecorse added that
Obasanjo greatly exaggerated the number of Nigerians in the
region as one million, whereas there were in fact only
several thousand there. Bonnecorse also openly questioned
Obasanjo's denial of interest in petroleum.


3. (C) Bonnecorse said that the situation should become
clearer next week, following Annan's separate meetings with
Obasanjo and Biya, but Obasanjo needed to understand that the
issue was getting serious. As President of the African Union
and with Nigeria advancing its candidacy for a permanent UNSC
seat, Nigeria needed to resolve the Bakassi issue in
accordance with the ICJ's ruling.


4. (C) Bonnecorse lamented that Cameroon's political and
economic situation continued to decline. Bonnecorse said
that President Chirac had counseled Biya on the need to focus
on discussions with the IMF and to address corruption.
Cameroon, he said, was not yet a crisis point and France
while keeping any eye on events was preoccupied with Cote
d'Ivoire and the current crisis with Djibouti.


5. (U) Ambassador Marquardt cleared this message.
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