NIGERIAN REQUEST FOR A MEETING BY PRESIDENT YAR'ADUA WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 001081

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
NOFORN

E.O. 12598: DECL: 05/30/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIAN REQUEST FOR A MEETING BY PRESIDENT YAR'ADUA WITH
PRESIDENT BUSH ON THE MARGINS OF THE G-8

Classified by Ambassador John Campbell for reasons 15 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Nigeria's Ambassador to the U.S., George Obiozor
and President Yar'Adua's Special Advisor Benjamin Ademola "Danny"
Adebiyi meet with the Ambassador at their request on May 31. They
asked that President Bush meet with President Yar'Adua, "if only for
two minutes" on the margins of the June G-8. They also expressed
concern that the fact that President Yar'Adua is a Muslim not be
taken to mean that he would be accommodating of "radical Islam" and
promised full, continued Nigerian support for the war on terror. The
Ambassador took the opportunity to urge Nigeria to fulfill President
Obasanjo's pledge to provide troops in Somalia and debt relief for
Liberia. The meeting closed with Adebiyi hinting at a future
accommodation between former Vice President Atiku and President
Yar'Adua. End Summary.


2. (C) Ambassador Obiozor asked the Ambassador to call on him at
the Transcorp Hilton on May 31. When the Ambassador arrived, also
present was Danny Adebiyi, Special Advisor to President Yar'Adua.
Adebiyi, supported by Obiozor, asked for a meeting between President
Bush and President Yar'Adua on the margins of the upcoming G-8. Such
a meeting, "even if only for two minutes," would provide enormous
encouragement for President Yar'Adua, the two said, as he embarks on
reform of the election process, addresses deep seated issues in the
Delta, sustains and expands the maco-economic program, and shoulders
Nigeria's burden in Africa. They were at pains to emphasize that the
fact that President Yar'Adua is a Muslim in no way implied that
Nigeria would be stepping back from its commitment to the war on
terrorism. They also made a plea that in public statements the U.S.
remain sensitive that Islam, as a religion, is utterly opposed to
terrorism.


3. (C) The Ambassador said he would relay the request for a meeting
of the two Presidents at the G-8. He assured his interlocutors of
U.S. sensitivity to any identification of Islam with international
terrorism and sketched out our program of Muslim outreach in Nigeria.
He praised President Yar'Adua's inaugural address and the promises
of reform of the electoral process and his establishment of the Niger
Delta as a first priority of his administration. He highlighted the
importance of the U.S./Nigeria partnership on a host of African
regional issues. The Ambassador took the opportunity to remind his
interlocutors of President Obasanjo's commitment of Nigerian troops
to Somalia, and urged that that commitment be fulfilled. He also
noted the importance of debt relief for Liberia and reiterated our
request for early Agrement for his successor. When the Ambassador
raised the desirability of the President receiving Senator Nelson the
following day, Adebiyi and Obiozor strongly agreed.


4. (C) Having delivered the message he had been charged with,
Adebiyi then commented on President Yar'Adua's working style. The
President, he said, is reserved, enjoys privacy - "he spent four
hours yesterday alone, reading" - and values punctuality. He is no
extrovert and dislikes "spin." Adebiyi emphasized Yar'Adua's need
for international encouragement "as he proceeds to do the right
thing." He also raised the strong possibility of a reconciliation
between former Vice President Atiku and the Presidency, "President
Yar'Adua has no quarrel with Atiku."


5. (C) Comment: Adebiyi is a Harvard-trained economist. For
years, he has been advisor to President Obasanjo and his predecessors
as head of state. He is also personally close to Ibrahim Babangida.
In his capacity as special advisor, his focus has been on economics,
and he has been distant from more partisan Villa denizens such as the
Uba brothers. He is the owner of a construction company, and his
wife has a senior position at a Lagos bank. He is Christian, his
wife Muslim. His has always been instinctively pro-American, and
wants a close U.S./Nigeria bilateral relationship. His and Obiozor's
alleged concern about the U.S. response to Yar'Adua's religious
background may be a projection of Christian anxiety about a Muslim
Chief of State. His claim to speak for President Yar'Adua is
credible. Nevertheless, the power relationships around the president
are still being sorted out.
CAMPBELL