COTE D'IVOIRE - MFA TO MOVE CAUTIOUSLY AGAINST

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABIDJAN 000305 SIPDIS SIPDIS IO/PSC FOR GRACE KANG, AF/S FOR STEVE HILL E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2017 TAGS: PREL UNSC KPKO PHUM ZI CT CD IV SUBJECT: COTE D'IVOIRE - MFA TO MOVE CAUTIOUSLY AGAINST SUDAN, ZIMBABWE REF: A. ABIDJAN 298 ¶B. ABIDJAN 290 ¶C. SECSTATE 34009 ¶D. SECSTATE 33367 Classified By: EconChief EMassinga, Reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) Ivorian Ambassador Bernard Tanoh Boutchoue, Director of the Office of UN and International Organizations, called EmbOff March 21 to inform that the Minister of Foreign Affairs had agreed that the situations in both Sudan and Zimbabwe were shocking, and that Africa collectively must act. ¶2. (C) Boutchoue reported that Foreign Minister Youssouf Bakayoko said that Cote d'Ivoire would act through its representative in Geneva to consolidate an African position on both areas of concern. Boutchoue noted that Africa is very divided on the extent it will allow interference in the internal affairs of fellow African states. Complicating Abidjan's position is the need to tread cautiously in order to maintain solidarity vis-a-vis Cote d'Ivoire's fragile peace process. Nonetheless, Cote d'Ivoire will work behind the scenes, to the degree it can, to build support for a Heavy Support Package in Sudan and strong measures against President Mugabe's latest anti-democratic moves and human rights violations. Hooks