SORO PRESIDES OVER GOV'T SEMINAR OUTLINING

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABIDJAN 000466

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL IV
SUBJECT: SORO PRESIDES OVER GOV'T SEMINAR OUTLINING
IMPLEMENTATION OF OUAGA ACCORD


Classified By: EconChief EMassinga, Reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (SBU) Summary. On May 2nd, following a week-long
"pre-seminar" dominated by technocrats, new Prime Minister
Guillaume Soro presided over a "governmental seminar in
Yamoussoukro to define the way forward regarding each of the
elements laid out in the Ouaga Accord of March 4. This
included identifying the actions required, who would carry
them out, and possible sources of funding. The main
decisions related to identification and elections
preparations. The seminar represents a positive step forward
in the peace process. End Summary.


2. (SBU) In addition to governmental participants, there
were numerous international observers, including a delegation
from Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, broker and
guarantor of the Ouaga Accord. The Prime Minister received
good reviews for his performance and was able to smooth over
some contentious, discordant points remaining from the
pre-seminar.


3. (C) The seminar took place in the middle of a week
dominated by open squabbling between the unarmed opposition
coalition RHDP and the Forces Nouvelles, now firmly in
control of the Prime Minister's Office (having removed the
last of Banny's key advisors). RHDP heads Ouattara and Bedie
openly criticized the Prime Minister's camp for failing to
adhere to the Ouaga electoral calendar and acquiescing to the
President's desire to marginalize the UN's role and eliminate
the High Representative for Elections post; however, the more
fundamental reason is unhappiness with the PM, namely, the
widespread rumors of a "deal" whereby Soro agreed to support
the President's reelection in the North in exchange for cash
and promises of reciprocal help when Soro becomes eligible
for the Presidency himself. These public pronouncements
prompted FN spokesman Sidiki Konate and other FN officials to
"call the RHDP out," explicitly accusing them of trafficking
in the rumor mill and leading many observers to predict an
open breach between the FN and RHDP. Soro's smooth delivery
of the governmental plan, along with subsequent conciliatory
public statements by Konate and others, helped (for now at
least) ease many of those fears.


4. (C) The seminar addressed a number of points, but the
main decisions related to identification and elections. On
identification, the audiences foraines will recommence when
the prefects are in place, which is scheduled to be completed
by May 23. (Note: FN sources indicate they will have
authority to name prefects to be deployed in the North, and
that the Ministry of Justice, controlled by a FN minister,
will play a key role. End Note). The plan also delineates
the role of the National Identification Office vis-a-vis the
contractor yet to be designated to produce voter ID cards.
On the elections process, the plan gives the crucial role of
producing the voters' guide to the Independent Electoral
Commission (controlled by a consortium of all parties),vice
the National Institute of Statistics which is under the
effective control of the Ministry of Interior, now headed by
FPI powerhouse Desire Tagro, as had been feared in RHDP
circles in recent weeks.


5. (C) EmbOff spoke to FN spokesman Konate on May 4 about
the seminar, inter alia. The new Tourism Minister was
clearly pleased with the outcome of the seminar and his own
role, enthusiastically pointing to the detail in which each
of the Ouaga points of most interest to the FN are handled
(i.e., identification, disarmament and reintegration of
militaries and militias and elections). (Comment: despite
his claims, the seminar only yielded vague statments of
intent vis-a-vis integration of the military. End Comment.)
Konate dismissed talk of a private accord between Soro and
Gbagbo (although he did not deny it outright) and averred
that the FN and Soro maintain ample power and leverage
(through the Accord, Compaore's role and, implicitly, the
20,000 men still under arms) to ensure genuine application
of the Ouaga accord, despite the what he termed superficial
imbalances in assignment of governmental portfolios, such as
Finance, Interior and Defense all going to the President's
party.


6. (C) Comment. The results of the seminar, which are due
to be ratified by a Council of Government meeting on May 7,
are a welcome reprieve from the distractions of the past
week, in which the chattering classes were beginning to
dismiss the Soro government for wholly having capitulated to
the President. The governmental plan of action implementing
the Ouaga Accord appears to be yet another positive step
forward in the peace process. End Comment.
Valle