FRANCE/COTE D'IVOIRE: NO EASY SOLUTION TO IMPASSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 006246

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/18/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR PINR IV FR
SUBJECT: FRANCE/COTE D'IVOIRE: NO EASY SOLUTION TO IMPASSE

REF: A. PARIS 6178


B. ABIDJAN 1037

Classified By: Acting Political Counselor Bruce Turner, 1.4
(b/d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: MFA Cote d'Ivoire desk officer Charlotte
Montel on September 15 expressed frustration with the stalled
peace process and said there was no easy solution. Concerned
countries had to continue efforts to move the process
forward, however, in order to maintain some semblance of
movement. Lack of progress towards a political solution has
increased pressure on the MFA to solve the problem so that
costs associated with Operation Licorne and UNOCI can be
reduced and to enable the redeployment of troops serving in
Licorne to other places. The toxic waste incident, while a
tragedy, has perhaps educated Ivoirians to Gbagbo's callous
misrule. France has sent a team to assist with the cleanup
effort and has told the Ivoirians that those responsible
should be called to account. END COMMENT.


2. (C) MFA Cote d'Ivoire desk officer Charlotte Montel on
September 15 provided her views of the situation in that
country, following our discussion the previous day with her
boss, DAS-equivalent Bruno Foucher (ref A). While echoing
Foucher's points, Montel also expressed significant
frustration with the lack of progress in the peace process.
Some of her comments on the stop-start-stop nature of the
process were similar to those expressed in ref B. She noted
that hope for elections in October had evaporated some time
ago, well before the recent official acknowledgment that the
original timetable would not hold. Nonetheless, she said
that France and other concerned countries had to continue
seeking a solution and pressing the Ivoirians in order to
maintain and generate momentum, however difficult that might
be. The Ivoirians had to be encouraged to take an active and
serious role in resolving their differences -- short of a
massive effort and increased engagement on the part of
international community (which in her view was not likely to
develop),the Cote d'Ivoire problem could not be solved
without Ivoirians taking the lead.


3. (C) France firmly supported the most recent statement of
the International Working Group, Montel said, although she
appeared less optimistic than Foucher (ref A, para 3) that it
would produce results. She stressed the need to give more
power to the Prime Minister, as reflected in para 5(e) of the
IWG's statement.

4 (C) Montel mentioned that the lack of movement had
caused, understandably, fatigue on the part of the
international community, which was growing impatient and
becoming more sensitive to the costs of its continuing
investment, both financial and political. Other elements of
the GOF were badgering the MFA to "achieve a political
solution," she said, particularly the MOD. The 250 million
euro annual cost of Operation Licorne (now totaling about 1
billion euro after four years) was attracting GOF-wide
attention as an obvious source of funds for other purposes.
Moreover, Licorne was an obvious resource for those wanting
to consider increased French troop deployments in Lebanon and
Afghanistan. (NOTE: Separately, MOD contacts have also
expressed a desire to downsize Licorne, but no redeployments
to Lebanon or Afghanistan are envisioned, at present. END
NOTE) Yet, reducing Licorne would send bad signals vis-a-vis
France's commitment to Cote d'Ivoire, Montel lamented.
Still, the lack of progress in the peace process made it
increasingly difficult to defend Licorne (and UNOCI as well),
especially after all these years, she commented.


5. (C) France had dispatched a team from the Interior
Ministry in response to the toxic waste scandal, to help
identify, contain, and clean up contaminated areas. Montel
said that Minister-Delegate for Cooperation, Development, and
Francophonie Brigitte Girardin, in Cote d'Ivoire for the IWG
meeting at the same time the scandal was growing, made clear
to the Ivoirians that responsible parties to the tragedy
should be identified and held accountable. Montel said that
the incident, while a human tragedy, could help Ivoirians
better appreciate Gbagbo's callous way of governance and thus
weaken him. She criticized Gbagbo as well for his decision
not to travel to New York to attend Cote d'Ivoire-related
activities, now being considered, on the margins of the UN
General Assembly.


6. (C) COMMENT: The French have only lately overcome their
reluctance to admit the election calendar for Cote d'Ivoire
is unsustainable. The French Presidency had long been
pushing the notion of a mere "technical delay," for instance.
Montel, who only recently became Cote d'Ivoire desk officer
following a tour as C.A.R. desk officer, is unencumbered by

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association with past French policies on Cote d'Ivoire. Her
candor is refreshing. She has been a helpful interlocutor
and more willing than some of her MFA colleagues to express
her own views and not simply recite the party line. END
COMMENT.



Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:

http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm

STAPLETON