Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ABIDJAN409
2006-04-21 14:19:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Abidjan
Cable title:  

COTE D'IVOIRE: PRIME MINISTER'S UPCOMING VISIT TO

Tags:  PREL PGOV EAID ASEC IV 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO0790
OO RUEHPA
DE RUEHAB #0409/01 1111419
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 211419Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1218
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 1338
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA 0299
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABIDJAN 000409 

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KINSHASA PASS TO BRAZZAVILLE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID ASEC IV
SUBJECT: COTE D'IVOIRE: PRIME MINISTER'S UPCOMING VISIT TO
WASHINGTON

REF: ABIDJAN 384

Classified By: POL/ECON Jim Wojtasiewicz, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABIDJAN 000409

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KINSHASA PASS TO BRAZZAVILLE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID ASEC IV
SUBJECT: COTE D'IVOIRE: PRIME MINISTER'S UPCOMING VISIT TO
WASHINGTON

REF: ABIDJAN 384

Classified By: POL/ECON Jim Wojtasiewicz, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (C) Summary. Prime Minister Banny told the Ambassador
that the primary objective for his upcoming visit to
Washington is to request assistance for Cote d'Ivoire's peace
process from the World Bank and the IMF. The Ambassador
underscored the urgency of moving forward with identification
and disarmament now, but Banny's response was cagey and
evasive. Banny is learning that it is relatively easy to get
Cote d'Ivoire's political leaders to reach broad agreements
but so far has proved nearly impossible to get them to carry
out their commitments. Senior U.S. officials should remind
him that in order to return to the good graces of the
international economic community, Cote d'Ivoire must not only
clear its arrears with the World Bank, it must make real
progress in the peace process, close the Cora investment
dispute, and clean up corruption in the cocoa and petroleum
sectors. Banny will probably also raise bilateral
assistance, and may put in a plug for more UN peacekeeping
troops. End Summary.


2. (C) The Ambassador met with Prime Minister Banny April 20
to preview the Prime Minister's upcoming April 23-29 visit to
Washington.


3. (C) Banny said his main objective for the visit would be
to persuade the World Bank and the IMF to resume assistance
programs for Cote d'Ivoire once his government clears the
country's arrears with the World Bank. He asked for U.S.
support in these institutions.


4. (C) The Ambassador reminded Banny that the Cora de Comstar
investment dispute remains a major irritant in our bilateral
relationship. He urged the Prime Minister to be prepared not
just to discuss a deal but to finalize it, when he meets with
Cora's stockholders in Washington. Banny indicated he was
aware of this issue but did not know all the details.


5. (C) Banny asked for a readout of that day's meeting of the
International Working Group (IWG),which the Ambassador had

just come from (septel). The Ambassador said the heads of
Cote d'Ivoire's disarmament commission, electoral commission,
and commission on identification had all told the IWG that
unless real progress starts to be made on disarmament and
identification urgently, by next week, it will not be
possible to hold elections by the end of October. Banny's
response was cagey and evasive, as his presentation to the
IWG had been. He indicated without going into any detail
that these things would start moving "soon," but he also
talked about President Gbagbo's "parallel diplomacy:"
agreeing on the broader political level to move forward with
the peace process but in private throwing up any obstacle he
can. As an example he cited the recent incident at Tiebissou
(reftel),when government security forces blocked the rebel
New Forces (FN) chief of staff, escorted by UN peacekeeping
troops, from traveling to Yamoussoukro for scheduled
disarmament talks with the chief of staff of the government
armed forces. Banny said he was sure though he could not
prove it that this was a "provocation" instigated by the
presidency.


6. (C) Comment. Banny is learning the same lesson that many
have learned before him. It has been relatively easy to
persuade the parties to Cote d'Ivoire's political crisis to
reach broad agreements: Linas-Marcoussis, Accra I, II and
III, Pretoria I and II, and now, under Banny, Yamoussoukro I
and II. Where the rubber needs to hit the road, and never
seems to do so, is in the implementation of these agreements,
because the Ivoirians never seem truly willing to carry out
their commitments. And when each successive agreement
fails, the Ivoiorians turn back to the international
community for help.


7. (C) Banny is coming to Washington in search of assistance
not only from the World Bank and the IMF but in all
likelihood from the United States as well. His Washington
visit comes right between a visit last week to Paris, where
President Chirac gave him a head-of-state welcome and
reportedly promised substantial additional assistance, and a
visit to Brussels on his way back from Washington, where he
will make a similar request. Senior U.S. officials should
remind him that clearing the arrears with the World Bank is
only one of the things that Cote d'Ivoire needs to do to
return to the good graces of the international economic
community. Real progress must be made in the peace process,
and this means disarmament and identification must start now.

ABIDJAN 00000409 002 OF 002


Cote d'Ivoire must also commit to take concrete actions to
clean up corruption in its cocoa sector and to prevent it
from creeping in to the growing petroleum sector. Cote
d'Ivoire cannot expect substantial amounts of assistance from
the international community when it lets so much of its own
money go to waste.


8. (C) If Banny raises bilateral assistance explicitly,
senior officials should remind him that Cote d'Ivoire must
meet these same conditions plus a final resolution of the
Cora dispute in order to regain eligibility for AGOA
benefits, and that Cote d'Ivoire will remain ineligible for
most other forms of U.S. assistance until free and fair
presidential elections are held. Senior U.S. officials
should also be prepared for Banny to put in a plug for the
Secretary General's request to the Security Council for a

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large increase in UN peacekeeping troop levels in Cote
d'Ivoire. End Comment.

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