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 TOGO'>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