FRENCH MFA OFFICIAL DISCUSSES COTE D'IVOIRE AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 005238 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/02/2016 TAGS: PREL KDEM CI TO FR SUBJECT: FRENCH MFA OFFICIAL DISCUSSES COTE D'IVOIRE AND TOGO REF: A. LOME 667 ¶B. LOME 658 ¶C. PARIS 5182 Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, reason 1.5. (b/d). ¶1. (C) In an August 2 meeting on Chad and Sudan (septel), MFA DAS-equivalent for West Africa Bruno Foucher offered brief comments on Cote d'Ivoire and Togo. ¶2. (C) On Cote d'Ivoire, Foucher expressed strong dismay at the lack of progress in the identification, disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration processes, which had made it impossible to meet the earlier October target date for elections. Foucher attributed the lack of progress to President Gbagbo, who, Foucher believed, would resist free, fair, and transparent elections because he knew that he could never win in such conditions, if only for demographic reasons. Foucher said that Gbagbo would try his best to retain control of the electoral process and structure elections to his liking, which would be his sole way of retaining power (Gbagbo's main objective). Foucher said that PM Konan Banny was proving to be less effective than had once been expected; his methods (an excessive attention to procedure and a desire to seek consensus) offered too many opportunities to Gbagbo to engage in obstruction. Nonetheless, Foucher said that we should maintain pressure on the parties in order to keep the process alive and to build momentum. Allowing the parties a grace period or additional time risked having to "start all over again" at some point down the road. ¶3. (C) On Togo, Foucher noted that President Faure Gnassingbe was scheduled to make an official visit to France, presently scheduled for September 9, which would be his first such visit since becoming president in 2005. The visit would allow President Chirac an opportunity to meet Togo's leader, "who may be in office a long time," Foucher commented. When asked about the timing of the visit, Foucher said there had been recent positive developments in Togo making this an appropriate period for a visit. Foucher cited the recent naming of Burkina Faso President Campaore as mediator of the talks between the GOT and opposition, which would likely give impetus to the talks, and progress Togo has made with the IFIs (ref A),which was a step towards restoring Togo's ties with the EU, in line with the EU's 22 conditions. Foucher noted signs of promising contact between the GOT and opposition elements (refs B and C). He commented that opposition leaders such as UFC chief Gilchrist Olympio had no choice but to join the process, which could develop momentum and leave them behind if they did not. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm STAPLETON