COTE D'IVOIRE: NINTH INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABIDJAN 000788

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

KINSHASA PASS TO BRAZZAVILLE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO ASEC IV
SUBJECT: COTE D'IVOIRE: NINTH INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP
MEETING PASSES UNEVENTFULLY

REF: A. ABIDJAN 782


B. ABIDJAN 718

C. ABIDJAN 768

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


1. (C) Summary. The International Working Group (IWG) held a
largely uneventful ninth meeting July 20. The Prime Minister
sought to reassure the group that his peace train is on
track and moving forward, but once again he was long on
promises and short on specifics. The communique from this
meeting strongly endorsed the mobile identification teams
that had aroused the ire of the leaders of President Gbagbo's
Ivoirian Popular Front (FPI) party, and sternly condemned
recent street disturbances by pro-Gbagbo militias and student
groups. The French pushed hard but unsuccessfully for the
IWG to explicitly recommend sanctions against the
perpetrators of these incidents and those who are behind
them. So far there has been no public reaction from the FPI
or the militias, who may be pondering their next move on the
mobile identification teams. At any rate the moment seems to
have passed for a violent reaction to the IWG communique, as
happened in January. End Summary.


2. (U) The ninth meeting of the IWG was held in Abidjan July
21, co-chaired as usual by Congolese Foreign Minister
Rodolphe Adada and UN Special Representative of the Secretary
General in Cote d'Ivoire (SRSG) Pierre Schori. In attendance
were Benin Foreign Minister Miriam Diallo; French Cooperation
Minister Brigitte Girardin; Nigerian Foreign Minister Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala, South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana
Dlamini Zuma; UN High Representative for Elections in Cote
d'Ivoire (HRE) Gerard Stoudmann; and representatives from
Guinea, Ghana, Niger, the United Kingdom, the United States,
the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),the
EU, the African Union, and the International Organization of
French Speaking Countries.


3. (C) The meeting was largely uneventful, even though it
took place only one day after youth militia supporters of
President Gbagbo paralyzed the streets of Abidjan with
roadblocks to protest the government's efforts to document
Ivoirian citizens and residents in preparation for elections
(ref A). Prime Minister Banny once again gave a long
rambling presentation in which he sought to assure the IWG
that his "peace train" is on track and moving forward, with
only a "few difficulties here and there." He pledged to meet
all the deadlines that were agreed to at the July 5
"mini-summit" chaired by Secretary General Annan (ref B). He
acknowledged that many Ivoirians are fearful of the future,
but he said that this fear could be overcome with courage and
political will. As an example of his own personal courage,
Banny recounted how the previous day he had braved the street
barricades to return to his residence when he heard news
reports that the militias were about to burn his house down.
He said that when he came to a barricade he got out of his
car and insisted that the militias remove it completely, and
they not only did so but they applauded him.


4. (C) IWG members were more lavish than usual in praising
Banny and pledging full support for his efforts, and they
posed fewer pointed questions about obstacles to the peace
process that he had passed over quickly or not mentioned at
all his prepared remarks.


5. (C) Once again the discussion of the communique was long
and tedious, but not particularly contentious. There was
broad consensus to express strong support for the mobile
identification teams which had aroused the ire of the leaders
of President Gbagbo's FPI party, and to sternly condemn both
the street disturbances of the previous three days by
pro-Gbagbo militias and the July 15 attack on Ivoirian Radio
and Television by the thuggish pro-Gbagbo students union (ref
C). Indeed, the communique states flatly that the street
disturbances were "incited by organized groups...following
calls by certain political leaders." The one contentious
issue was sanctions. The French pushed very hard for the
communique to explicitly recommend that the UN Security
Council's Sanctions Committee "take appropriate measures"
against the perpetrators of these incidents and those behind
them. However, South Africa and the SRSG argued that the IWG
had no mandate to prejudge what action the Sanctions
Committee might decide to take. In the end, a compromise
was reached for the IWG to "submit these elements for the
consideration of the Sanctions Committee...in order for it to
be able to take appropriate measures" against the
perpetrators and those behind them.


ABIDJAN 00000788 002 OF 002



6. (C) The IWG decided to postpone its next meeting by about
two weeks, to September 1, so that it would fall closer to
the meeting on Cote d'Ivoire that is expected to take place
in New York on the margins of the General Assembly in early
September.


7. (C) Press reaction to the IWG meeting was subdued. Some
opposition-oriented newspapers highlighted that the IWG had
indicated support for sanctions; the government-owned
Fraternite Matin noted that the group reiterated that
identification and disarmament must proceed simultaneously.
So far there has been no public reaction from the FPI or the
militias.


8. (C) Comment. FPI and militia leaders may be pondering
their next move, after withdrawing the barricades from the
streets earlier this week. The IWG also took a half step out
of the line of fire on sanctions with its ambiguous wording
on that subject. At any rate, the moment seems to have
passed for a violent reaction to the IWG communique, as
happened in January. End Comment.

Hooks