Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06LOME813
2006-08-24 10:59:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Lome
Cable title:  

EU AND ITS MEMBER STATES EMBRACE TOGOLESE

Tags:  PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM EAID TO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0020
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPC #0813/01 2361059
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 241059Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY LOME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7321
INFO RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA PRIORITY 1980
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0094
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 0930
RUEHCO/AMEMBASSY COTONOU PRIORITY 3885
RUEHOU/AMEMBASSY OUAGADOUGOU PRIORITY 8837
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0486
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 0149
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
UNCLAS LOME 000813 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM EAID TO
SUBJECT: EU AND ITS MEMBER STATES EMBRACE TOGOLESE
POLITICAL ACCORD

REF: A. LOME 800

B. LOME 798

C. LOME 741

D. LOME 667

UNCLAS LOME 000813

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM EAID TOGO'>TO
SUBJECT: EU AND ITS MEMBER STATES EMBRACE TOGOLESE
POLITICAL ACCORD

REF: A. LOME 800

B. LOME 798

C. LOME 741

D. LOME 667


1. (SBU) Summary. The GOT has begun to see positive
diplomatic fallout from Sunday's successful completion of the
national political dialogue (refs a and b). In early
September, President Faure Gnassingbe plans to travel to
Brussels, Rome, and Paris to be received by top host
government and EU officials, followed by an official visit to
Berlin in mid-October. The EU, historically TOGO's biggest
donor, also has decided to include TOGO in programming for
the 10th European Development Fund (FED),which runs from
2008 to 2013. End Summary.


2. (U) Background. The signing on August 20 by all the
participants in the TOGOlese national dialogue, which
included the GOT and its affiliated political parties (the
president's party, the RPT, along with the so-called moderate
opposition),the major opposition parties -- the so-called
radical opposition, and two organizations representing civil
society, was viewed widely as an important step in ending
TOGO's long political crisis. The crisis came to a head in
2005 when TOGO's long-term dictator, President Gnassingbe
Eyadema, died unexpectedly and was succeeded in a flawed and
non-transparent process by his son, Faure. Widespread
political violence ensued, in which 500 people died, mostly
at the hands of the security forces, and 40,000 fled to
neighboring countries. At the time of Eyadema's death, TOGO
was beginning to emerge from nearly 20 years of a donor
boycott in response to the GOT's abysmal governance human
rights record. Several months before his death, Eyadema
agreed to implement 22 commitments he undertook with the EU
in the areas of democracy, governance, and human rights and
was beginning to make progress when he died.


3. (SBU) Background cont. Despite his inauspicious start, the
U.S.-educated Faure espoused a reformist agenda from the
outset, including a pledge to follow through with the 22 EU
commitments, the first of which was a national political
dialogue. Although the "radical opposition" was initially
hostile -- to the point of refusing to recognize Faure's
mandate -- Faure was able to convince his rivals of his

willingness to break with the past and engage them as
partners in negotiations regarding the future. The EU
recognized the progress Faure was making in this and other
areas by releasing small tranches of the over 100 million
Euros in frozen assistance that had accumulated over the
years but refused to go any further pending a successful
outcome to the national dialogue (ref c). End Background.


4. (U) The signing of a comprehensive political agreement on
August 20 marked the successful completion of the dialogue
process. The agreement calls for fundamental reforms in
TOGOlese institutions, mostly to be undertaken after election
of a new legislature in late 2007, and the immediate
appointment of a government of national union (to include the
radical opposition),tasked with preparing for free and fair
legislative elections as well as implementing the most urgent
reforms in other specified areas. Although short on details,
numerous safeguards are built into the agreement, including
the appointment of a monitoring committee chaired by dialogue
facilitator President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso and
that includes ECOWAS and the EU in its membership.


5. (SBU) Anxious to demonstrate support for progress in a
country that has shown little over the past 20 years, the EU
and key member states have been quick to respond. The EU
charge in Lome told the Ambassador following the signing
ceremony that in addition to being received by President
Chirac in Paris on September 7 (ref C),an invitation that
was extended even before the outcome of the dialogue was
known, President Faure will travel to Brussels on September 3
and 4, where he will be received by the King, prime minister,
and EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel, and to Rome on
September 6, where he will meet with Prime Minister Prodi.
After Paris, Faure will return to Lome before departing for
the UNGA in New York. After returning from the UNGA, Faure
will travel to Berlin on October 13, where he will be
received by Chancellor Merkel. In addition, TOGO will be
included in the upcoming European Development Fund budget
cycle, the 10th FED that runs from 2009 to 2013, with the

objective of helping TOGO "with its economic revival and
social justice (programs)" according to an EU press release.


6. (SBU) The GOT also has been making progress in the area of
macroeconomic reforms. After satisfying the IMF's
preconditions, TOGO is about to sign an agreement with the
Fund to begin a Staff Monitored Program before the end of
2006, whose successful completion would restore TOGO's
eligibility for concessional IMF financing (ref d). e
restoration of EU development aid will be crucial to the
GOT's ability to repay its arrears to the World Bank and thus
regain eligibility for World Bank programs.


7. (SBU) Comment. Although a secondary partner relative to
the EU, France, and Germany, the U.S. nonetheless has played
an important role in TOGO historically. The statement by the
Department's acting press spokesman August 22 congratulating
the government and opposition upon the signing of the
political accord was front page news in Lome. Post will be
recommending further measures we can take to encourage the
TOGOlese leadership to continue on the reform path. End
Comment.



DUNN