NEW FORCES PREVENTED FROM MEETING PRESIDENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABIDJAN 000713

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2016
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL KPKO IV
SUBJECT: NEW FORCES PREVENTED FROM MEETING PRESIDENT

REF: ABIDJAN 00694

Classified By: Poloff Phaedra Gwyn for reason 1.4 b&d


1. (U) On July 4, a delegation of New Forces (NF) soldiers
led by Chief-of-Staff General Soumailo Bakayoko was refused
entry to the Prime Minister's office (Primature) prior to a
scheduled meeting with President Gbagbo. Gbagbo wrote the NF
last week, inviting the NF military (FAFN) to meet with him
at the presidential palace. According to Commander Adama
Kone, spokesperson for the FAFN, the delegation arrived at
the Primature at 16:00 where they were to first meet the
Minister of Defense. The FAFN were to then proceed next door
to the Presidential Palace. Elements from the presidential
guard that control the area met the delegation at the gate of
the Primature and told the Togolese UN battalion charged with
guarding the FAFN that they could not enter with their
weapons. In addition, the FAFN, who were unarmed, were told
that they would have to remove their stripes. Apparently
this was because of the Ivoirian Armed Forces' unwillingness
to recognize the FAFN's new military ranks.


2. (C) The Togolese battalion refused to depose their weapons
and after some heated discussion the delegation left.
Pro-Gbagbo newspapers are reporting that the NF had agreed
beforehand that there would be no weapons or military
stripes. According to Kone, however, no previous discussions
had taken place regarding the terms of the meeting.


3. (C) COMMENT This incident comes on the heels of the two
armed forces' failure to reach agreement last week on several
key issues during talks held in Bouake (reftel) and on the
eve of today's meeting between UN Secretary General Kofi
Annan and the key actors in the Ivoirian crisis. Again, both
parties' unwillingness to compromise led to an incident that
could have easily been avoided. END COMMENT.
Hooks