COTE D'IVOIRE: VISIT OF STAFFDELS SMITH AND CLACK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 ABIDJAN 000863

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W-EPLUMB AND INR/AA-BGRAVES, LONDON AND PARIS
FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/15/2017
TAGS: ECON PREL PGOV KDEM IV
SUBJECT: COTE D'IVOIRE: VISIT OF STAFFDELS SMITH AND CLACK

REF: A. ABIDJAN 829. ABIDJAN 830


B. STATE 108726

C. STATE 108828

Classified By: CHARGE VICKI HUDDLESTON FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) Summary. Shannon Smith, Majority Professional Staff
Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Mark
Clack, Foreign Relations Staff Member for the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, visited Cote d'Ivoire August 10-15.
Smith and Clack conducted a review of programs under the
President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR),which
will be reported separately. They also met with the American
Chamber of Commerce, the Ivorian Export Promotion
Association, NGOs, and UN officials to discuss the peace
process. American Chamber of Commerce Chairman Deborah Gray
told Smith and Clack that the Ivorian business community is
uneasy due to the delay in elections. Ivorian Export
Promotion Association Development Director Gerard Amangoua
stressed the importance to Cote d'Ivoire of African Growth
and Opportunity Act (AGOA) recertification. World Bank
conflict specialist Karene Melloul said Cote d'Ivoire is
expected to pay back its arrears to the World Bank by January

2008. She noted that once the arrears are paid, the World
Bank will unfreeze a project and commence new ones. She also
informed Smith and Clack that the World Bank Board has
approved a USD 120 million grant for post-conflict
assistance. Acting Chief of United Nations Operation in Cote
d'Ivoire's (UNOCI) Electoral Division Issaka Souna said his
office provides technical assistance to the Ivorian
government agencies organizing the elections, but does not
make any decisions about the elections. Souna stated that
President Gbagbo's August 6 call for elections by December
2007 was a political declaration to demonstrate his
commitment to holding elections and that it is reasonable to
say that elections are not possible by that date. Acting Head
of UNOCI's Political Division Edith Oyulu told Smith and
Clack that the unarmed political opposition has been critical
of UNOCI because of the elimination by the UN Security
Council of the Office of High Representative for Elections
since the opposition believes that office would ensure the
credibility of the electoral process. Oyulu informed Smith
and Clack that the Rassemblement des Houphouetistes pour la
Democratie et la Paix (RHDP) met with Prime Minister Soro
August 14 to express their opposition to rushed elections.
United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) head Kazimiro Rudolf-Jacondo said there are
about 70,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and that
OCHA is providing assistance to those who have and who want
to return to their home communities. United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) Acting Representative Paul Bassikila
said UNICEF is working in the areas of health, education, and
water/sanitation. End Summary.


2. (U) Shannon Smith, Majority Professional Staff Member of
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Mark Clack,
Foreign Relations Staff Member for the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, visited Cote d'Ivoire August 10-15.
Smith and Clack conducted a review of programs under the
President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR),which
will be reported septel. Smith and Clack, accompanied by
Poloffs, met with the Chairman of the American Chamber of
Commerce, the Ivorian Export Promotion Association, NGOs
working on human rights, the Acting Heads of UNOCI's
Electoral and Political Divisions, a World Bank conflict
specialist, the UNICEF Acting Representative, and the head of
OCHA.


Economic Situation
--------------


3. (U) American Chamber of Commerce Chairman Deborah Gray
told Smith and Clack August 14 that the American Chamber of
Commerce was restarted in Cote d'Ivoire in 2004. Gray said
its goal is to provide training and expertise to Ivorian
businessmen and noted that there were 7 U.S. trade missions
to Cote d'Ivoire in the last 2 years. Gray told Clack that
the Chamber of Commerce does not receive many requests for

ABIDJAN 00000863 002 OF 004


assistance to have Cote d'Ivoire declared eligible for AGOA.
Gray noted that the Chamber of Commerce does receive many
requests about establishing direct ties with U.S. businesses
from wealthy Ivorians who are returning to Cote d'Ivoire from
overseas and want to start businesses. Gray said that,
while she would not encourage investment in Cote d'Ivoire
until elections are held, Cote d'Ivoire offers many
opportunities for investors and that the country's workers
are well educated. Gray said the country's business
community is uneasy due to the delay in elections.


4. (U) Gerard Armangoua, Director of Development for the
Ivorian Export Promotion Association stressed to Clack August
14 the importance of AGOA recertification to the Ivorian
private sector. Armangoua noted that since Senegal, Ghana,
and other countries in the region have access to the U.S.
market through AGOA, Ivorian business is falling behind the
curve. Armangoua also stated that the private sector has
been unfairly penalized by Section 508 sanctions and the lack
of a USAID presence in the country.


5. (C) Karene Melloul, conflict specialist at the World Bank,
stated August 15 that Cote d'Ivoire is one of the most
indebted nations in the world and is expected to have paid
back its arrears to the World Bank by January 2008. According
to Melloul, once Cote d'Ivoire has paid its arrears, a USD
100 million project will be unfrozen, there will be USD 140
million for budget support, as well as USD 65 million for new
projects that will focus on governance and HIV/AIDS.
Melloul told Smith and Clack that the World Bank Board has
approved a USD 120 million grant for post-conflict assistance
to Cote d'Ivoire. She informed Smith and Clack that, of the
120 million, 20 million will be used for the identification
process, 40 million for reintegration of youth at risk and
youth associated with conflict, 40 million for
community-driven development at the village level, and 20
million, that has in part not yet been allocated, will be
used to help the government with project management
assistance.

Elections
--------------


6. (C) Acting Chief of UNOCI's Electoral Division Issaka
Souna told Smith and Clack August 14 that UNOCI's Electoral
Division provides technical assistance to the Ivorian
government agencies organizing the national elections, but
does not make any decisions about the elections. Souna
stated that UNOCI will provide security for the persons
involved in the elections as well as for the electoral
material and will make its air and land assets available to
the Ivorian Government to transport the electoral material.
Souna underscored, however, that the Government of Cote
d'Ivoire has primary responsibility for maintaining order
during the elections. Souna added that UNOCI will organize
international observers for the elections. According to
Souna, UNOCI works with Cote d'Ivoire's Independent Electoral
Commission providing information about Ivorian electoral law
as well as international standards and UN conventions
regarding elections and providing assistance on creation of a
budget. Souna said President Gbagbo's August 6 call for
elections by December 2007 was a political declaration to
show the President's commitment to elections, but that it is
reasonable to say that elections are not possible by December

2007. Souna told Smith and Clack that the Ivorian elections
are complicated because identification of voters is the basic
issue. He noted that several steps are needed to arrive at
voter identification, including issuance of substitute birth
certificates ("audiences foraines"),electoral registration,
issuance of voter cards, and issuance of national identity
cards.

Peace Process
--------------


7. (SBU) Avo Bile, Vice President of the Ivorian League of
Human Rights, told Smith and Clack August 12 that the Ivorian
political process is ignoring civil society as it implements
the peace process. Genevieve Sissoko-Diallo, Chairman of NGO

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Women's Legal Experts, said fighting corruption is critical.
Malan Ehounou, a magistrate and Chairman of NGO Transparency
Justice, complained about the weakness of Cote d'Ivoire's
judicial branch.


8. (C) Acting Head of UNOCI's Political Division Edith Oyulu
told Smith and Clack August 15 that the unarmed political
opposition has been critical of UNOCI because the UN Security
Council eliminated the Office of High Representative for
Elections, which the opposition believes is called for in the
Pretoria peace agreement. Oyulu said the opposition believes
retaining the office of High Representative for Elections is
the only way to ensure that the electoral process is
credible. UNOCI Political Officer Simon Handy said UNOCI is
stressing to the political opposition that the UN will have
responsibility for certifying the elections in Cote d'Ivoire.
Oyulu said the RHDP, an umbrella organization of unarmed
opposition parties, met August 14 with Prime Minister Soro
and told him that they do not support rushed election; during
the meeting, the Prime Minister said he would not insist on
any particular date for holding elections. According to
Oyulu, the RHDP also complained to the Prime Minister that
the government media is giving excessive prominence to the
government (the Presidency). Oyulu said UNOCI is concerned
that the opposition may pull out of the electoral process.
Handy said the Ouagadougou Political Accord (OPA)
demonstrates incredible will by the parties to move the peace
process forward, but added that the opposition feels
sidelined by the agreement. Handy stated that the commitment
by the parties to OPA to move the peace process forward still
exists and that this will help them overcome the difficulties
they will encounter. Handy recognized that implementation of
the OPA to date has consisted solely of symbolic gestures and
that the key issues, the electoral process; disarmament,
demobilization, and reintegration; and demobilization of the
militia, now need to be addressed. Oyulu said that the
benchmarks that have to be met if there is to be meaningful
progress towards a lasting peace are identification,
establishment of the administration in the northern part of
the country, and signature by the President of a decree
appointing vice Prefects since they are crucial to carrying
out the identification process. Handy informed Smith and
Clack that the Independent Electoral Commission gave the
opposition political parties the 2000 voter register about 2
weeks ago and asked that they submit any comments within 3
weeks. Handy admitted that the 2000 voter register is
fundamentally flawed and noted that the opposition political
parties have complained that they cannot be sure that the
electronic version they received is in conformity with the
original.


9. (C) World Bank conflict specialist Karene Melloul told
Smith and Clack that there is a 50 percent chance that
conflict will resume in Cote d'Ivoire because the major
factors for the conflict are not addressed by the OPA. She
noted that the June 29 attempt on the life of the Prime
Minister indicates that some people are displeased enough
with the OPA to go to such lengths to sabotage it. She noted
that land tenure is a potentially explosive issue in the
country.

Humanitarian Situation
--------------


10. (SBU) OCHA head Kazimiro Rudolf-Jacondo told Smith and
Clack August 15 that only limited funding is available for
humanitarian activities in Cote d'Ivoire, possibly because of
a perception by the international community that the
government of Cote d'Ivoire is economically strong enough to
provide social services to its citizens. Rudolf-Jacondo said
more and more of the estimated 70,000 internally displaced
persons (IDPs) have begun to return to their home communities
and OCHA is supporting those who have gone back and those who
want to return. Acting UNICEF Representative Paul Bassikila
told Smith and Clack August 15 that UNICEF, which had an
office in Cote d'Ivoire before the conflict, is working in
the areas of health, education, and water/sanitation. He
said UNICEF has a program to prevent mother to child
transmission of HIV/AIDS, supports primary health care, has

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repaired water pumps, has rehabilitated schools, and has
provided education kits for students and volunteer teachers
in the north since many teachers left the north when the
conflict began. Bassikila said it is important for the
humanitarian response in Cote d'Ivoire to be followed by
development assistance.


11. (U) Ms. Smith and Mr. Clack did not/not clear this cable
before their departure from Cote d'Ivoire.




HUDDLESTON