NIGERIA: DEPUTY SECRETARY'S MEETING WITH PRESIDENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 002382

SIPDIS

ENERGY FOR CAROLYN GAY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL MASS NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: DEPUTY SECRETARY'S MEETING WITH PRESIDENT
YAR'ADUA

Classified By: CDA Lisa Piascik for reasons 1.4. (b & d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: During a November 12 meeting at the
Presidential Villa in Abuja, Deputy Secretary of State
Negroponte and Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua pledged
to continue and deepen the U.S.-Nigerian bilateral
partnership. The Deputy Secretary praised the Yar'Adua
government's commitment to electoral reform, anti-corruption
efforts, and enforcing the rule of law and said that the U.S.
is ready to provide technical assistance if so requested.
President Yar'Adua announced he will propose an African
counterterrorism initiative at the African Union summit in
January. He also pledged to improve Gulf of Guinea security
and asked for U.S. technical assistance to improve
monitoring. The Deputy Secretary thanked the Nigerians for
their efforts to bring peace to Darfur, and urged President
Yar'Adua to continue to press President Bashir to accept
deployment of the UN-AU hybrid force as soon as possible.
President Yar'Adua restated the GON's commitment to send a
peacekeeping battalion to Somalia and promised the troops
could be deployed by the end of the year. END SUMMARY.

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Robust Partnership, Domestic Reforms
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2. (C) President Yar'Adua said Nigeria wants to deepen our
already positive relationship and partner with the U.S. on a
wide array of issues. The Deputy Secretary praised the
Yar'Adua government's commitment to electoral reform,
anti-corruption efforts and enforcing the rule of law, and
said that the U.S. is ready to provide technical assistance
if so requested. The President thanked the Deputy Secretary
for U.S. support and explained that an election reform panel
has been inaugurated and started work. He admitted that
electoral reform was a great national challenge, but said
that it can help provide long term stability, peace, and
security for Nigeria. President Yar'Adua reiterated his
commitment to pursuing reforms that will improve governance,
fight corruption, and ensure strict adherence to the rule of
law. He explained that he is committed to using the African
Union's Peer Review Mechanism as a self-critique to improve
governance. He re-stated Nigeria's commitment to the New
Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and said that in
addition to political stability, good governance, and rule of
law, infrastructure improvements are needed for economic
growth and poverty reduction. According to President
Yar'Adua, Nigeria requires additional foreign direct
investment in order to improve critical power and transport
infrastructure and achieve double-digit economic growth.
President Yar'Adua sees the U.S. as a "natural partner" to
help Nigeria improve its economy.


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Counterterrorism
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3. (C) President Yar'Adua said the GON takes terrorism very
seriously. He explained that he wants Nigeria to link with
other African nations, especially Chad and Niger, to ensure
that the region does not become a haven for terrorist cells
or training camps. The President said that the GON is
working hard to identify and infiltrate any terrorist groups
already present in Nigeria. President Yar'Adua announced
that he will propose a continental initiative to combat
terrorism at an African Union meeting in Addis Ababa in
January.

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Niger Delta
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4. (C) The President explained that the GON is working hard
to make the Gulf of Guinea secure. He said the government
needs technical assistance to ensure there is "proper
monitoring" to secure the Gulf for Nigeria and its trading
partners. The Deputy Secretary agreed Gulf of Guinea
security is a major priority for both the United States and
Nigeria. He said he had discussed the Gulf of Guinea in more
detail in his previous meeting with the National Security
Advisor and that he would continue to think about ways the
USG could intensify our assistance on Gulf security, perhaps
with regard to combating bunkering and small arms
trafficking.

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Peacekeeping: Darfur, Somalia
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5. (C) President Yar'Adua said his Foreign and Defense
Ministers had just met with President Bashir and he was
planning to meet with Bashir himself on Sunday. The Deputy
Secretary thanked Yar'Adua for his personal engagement on
Sudan and said he was pleased to learn about the upcoming
Yar'Adua-Bashir meeting. He urged the President to tell
Bashir that he has nothing to lose or fear by welcoming the
international community's involvement in Darfur peacekeeping
as soon as possible. The Deputy stressed the need to get
Bashir to remove any remaining obstacles to deployment of the
UN-AU hybrid force as soon as possible. President Yar'Adua
pledged to continue working with the Sudanese government and
the African Union to get the situation resolved and allow
additional peacekeepers to deploy. The Deputy Secretary
pointed out that if President Bashir would agree to quick
deployment of peacekeepers, including non-AU technical units,
this would lead to a rapid improvement in Sudan's
international relations.


6. (C) President Yar'Adua promised that the GON will meet
its commitment to send a battalion of peacekeeping troops to
Somalia, but he explained that the Nigerian military is
"overstretched" which has caused delays and problems in
training and equipping the pledged unit. Assistant Secretary
Frazer stressed the importance of quickly replacing Ethiopian
troops in Somalia and she thanked President Yar'Adua for the
GON's partnership and leadership on peacekeeping. She
explained that the USG is ready to provide $3 million to help
equip and deploy the pledged Nigerian battalion. President
Yar'Adua said he will tell the Minister of Defense and Chief
of Defense Staff to get the Somalia battalion ready as soon
as possible and he promised that the Nigerian peacekeepers
should be deployed no later than the end of December 2007.
A/S Frazer told President Yar'Adua that the AU and members of
the International Crisis Group on Somalia need time to
reflect on the UNSYG's unexpected recent announcement that
the UN will not send a peacekeeping force to Somalia, and
instead called for a multinational force or coalition of
willing forces.


7. (C) Yar'Adua pledged that he would discuss plans for an
African Standby Force (ASF) with the African Union Chairman.
He stressed the importance of making the ASF a reality, so
that the AU would be able to quickly deploy peacekeepers and
prevent conflicts from spiraling out of control. The Deputy
Secretary offered his support for the ASF concept and
promised to think about ways the USG might support it.

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Health Note
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8. (C) Though President Yar'Adua was well-informed and
spoke confidently without notes during the hour long meeting,
he appeared to be in ill-health. He spoke with effort at
times, repeatedly coughed, and seemed less energetic than in
previous meetings and public appearances. END NOTE.

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Participants
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9. (SBU)

United States:
The Deputy Secretary
Assistant Secretary Frazer
CDA Lisa Piascik
Gustavo Delgado, D Staff
Ted Wittenstein, D Staff
PolCouns
EconCouns
Embassy Notetaker

Nigeria:

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
Vice President Goodluck Jonathan
Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babagana Kingibe
Chief of Staff General Mohammed
National Security Advisor General Abdullahi Mukhtar
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ojo Maduekwe
Attorney General Michael Aondokka
Deputy Chief of Staff from the Vice President's Office
Special Advisor to the President on Media Segun Adeniyi
EFCC Chairman Nuhu Ribadu
MFA Permanent Secretary Hakeem Baba-Ahmed
MFA Director for North America and the Caribbean O.O. Onobu
MFA Director for North America Charles Onianwa
MFA Asst. Director for the U.S. Ali Ocheni
MFA Director of Protocol T.O. Aje


10. (U) The Deputy Secretary's staff has cleared this message.


PIASCIK