SRSG OULD-ABDALLAH VISITS TOGO

C O N F I D E N T I A L LOME 000558

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR D'ELIA, PRETORIA FOR TRENKLE, AF/W FOR GALINDO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM TOGO'>TO
SUBJECT: SRSG OULD-ABDALLAH VISITS TOGO

REF: LOME 529

Classified By: Charge J.A. Diffily for reasons b. and d.


1. (U) Charge met May 26 with Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah along
with French Ambassador Alain Hohleville, German Ambassador
Klaus-Guenther Grohmann, EU Delegation Charge Gilles
Desesquelles and UNDP Resident Representative Rosine
Sori-Coulibaly to discuss the political situation in TOGO.
Ould-Abdallah is the UN Secretary General's Special
Representative for West Africa, resident in Dakar. He
explained he was in TOGO to talk to the players in the
national dialogue to help push them toward a consensus. The
Charge and group told Ould-Abdallah of slow progress with the
dialogue. The current major sticking point is the composition
of the National Electoral Commission and the framework for
legislative elections (reftel). When the conversation turned
to ways to facilitate progress in the talks, Ould-Abdallah
recalled that in November-December 2005, all suggestions made
by the UN for a mediator were rejected and it was his
personal opinion that having a facilitator would not work.


2. (C) Hohleville noted that the major opposition party, the
Union of Forces for Change (UFC) has remained in the talks
despite their initial demand that there be a facilitator.
Hohleville feels that all the parties want a compromise.
Desesquelles, the optimist, feels the dialogue will come to
an accord with a revised electoral arrangement. He also
opined that the UFC has been realistic in their demands and
all the opposition parties recognize that the problem of
reform of the army is an ethnic problem and will require a
long term solution.


3. (C) When Ould-Abdallah asked about TOGO's relations with
China, Iran and Libya, Hohleville noted that the GoT has to
cover its expenses and was having to try for second tier
assistance. Desesquelles agreed that the suspension of
assistance from the EU since 1995 has caused problems for
TOGO. EU Commissioner Louis Michel on a recent visit to TOGO
(reftel) agreed to free up Euro 20 million for judicial
reform, human rights issues, and income-generating activities
for youth upon a satisfactory conclusion to the national
dialogue. Ould-Abdallah noted the dilemma - a
less-than-democratic regime needs money for development but
the dispersal of European Development Fund money is
conditioned on progress toward representative government and
rule of law.


4. (C) Comment: Ould-Abdallah did not seem to be fully
briefed on the TOGO situation. His passing comment that
TOGO's was a quote old unquote crisis conveyed the impression
that he was not energetic nor hopeful about a resolution to
it. In a conversation with the Charge on May 29, Ambassador
Grohmann, who had again talked to Ould-Abdallah on May 27,
also noted his negativity. Ould-Abdallah met with President
Faure after our meeting, also to discuss the national
dialogue. Newspapers reporting on his visit say that he noted
considerable distrust among the negotiating parties and that
the ruling party, the Rassemblement du Peuple TOGOlais (RPT)
had taken a very hard line throughout the dialogue.
Ould-Abdallah was reported to have said that intervention by
a mediator was necessary to move the talks ahead. Post hopes
Ould-Abdallah will help generate support for an outside
mediator when he reports back to New York. End Comment.
DIFFILY