Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ACCRA1375
2007-06-20 17:06:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Accra
Cable title:  

UNSC DISCUSSIONS IN GHANA

Tags:  GH PGOV PREL SO SU AU UNSC KPKO 
pdf how-to read a cable
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ACCRA 001375 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: GH PGOV PREL SO SU AU UNSC KPKO
SUBJECT: UNSC DISCUSSIONS IN GHANA


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ACCRA 001375

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: GH PGOV PREL SO SU AU UNSC KPKO
SUBJECT: UNSC DISCUSSIONS IN GHANA



1. (SBU) Summary: On June 18, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad
and other members of the UN Security Council visited Ghana as
part of a five-day African tour. They met as a group with
Foreign Minster Nana Akufo-Addo and President John Kufuor.
Akufo-Addo was encouraged by recent progress in Sudan and the
DRC. He saw the Ethiopia-Eritrea border dispute as
intractable and was optimistic about Cote d'Ivoire,
highlighting the need for continued international support,
especially in ensuring credible elections. The upcoming AU
Summit would focus on strengthening the AU Commission, AU
finances, and a road map for greater African integration.
The UNSC Ambassadors supported stronger ties between the UN
and the AU's Peace and Security Council. Ambassador
Khalilzad said the U.S. would welcome a Ghanaian contribution
to the hybrid force in Sudan and would help Ghana fulfill its
troop commitment to AMISOM. Ambassador Khalilzad also met
separately with presidential advisor on the African Union
Nana Effah Appenteng, who supported the formation of a
regional contact group on Sudan and encouraged engagement
with Egypt on the Ethiopia/Eritrea border impasse. End
summary.

Sudan
--------------


2. (SBU) Sudan is the "major preoccupation of Africa,"
Akufo-Addo stated, emphasizing that a resolution to the
Darfur problem requires close cooperation with the Government
of Sudan, even if it is complicit in the Darfur violence. He
was encouraged by the just-completed UNSC Mission visit to
Sudan and by the Sudanese government's apparent willingness
to be constructive. President Kufuor planned to speak to
President Bashir soon and was determined to help ensure that
the momentum of the recent UNSC trip is not lost.

Somalia
--------------


3. (SBU) Akufo-Addo was more pessimistic about Somalia,
stressing the need for an all-inclusive political dialogue.
Without progress on this front, the conditions were "not
propitious" for the insertion of AU forces, he said. This
helps explain why countries have been slow to commit troops
to AMISOM. The Ghanaian military, for example, questions

whether they would be going to keep or make the peace, he
noted, adding that logistics is also a challenge.

DRC
---


4. (SBU) The peace process is ongoing in the DRC and the
international community is providing as much support as
possible. He thought there should be an explicit AU role in
promoting dialogue. He hoped the absence of opposition
leader Jean-Pierre Bemba would allow for tempers to lower.

Ethiopia-Eritrea
--------------


5. (SBU) This conflict never seems to find resolution,
Akufo-Addo said, hoping that the international community
would do what it can to get agreement between the parties.

Cote d'Ivoire
--------------


6. (SBU) Cote d'Ivoire is "progressively being resolved,"
he said. Since the Ouagadougou Accord, which has the strong
backing of the AU and ECOWAS, there is clearly greater
optimism for peace, unification and real democratic
development. He saw the recent agreement to transfer
election authority as a "polite way" to sideline UN High
Representative for Elections Gerard Studman, who had
difficulties with President Gbagbo.


7. (SBU) There is still a great need for international
monitoring of the situation. When UN forces leave Cote
d'Ivoire there will still be a need for international
involvement in keeping the peace. Credible elections are key
to the stability of the country and the election process

ACCRA 00001375 002 OF 003


requires international support and certification of results.
He thought the Government of Cote d'Ivoire's plans to hold
the election in the first quarter of 2008 was acceptable,
especially if the postponement increases the credibility of
the election.

AU Summit
--------------


8. (SBU) The focus of the June 25-July 3 African Union
Summit in Accra will be to explore the kind of mechanism
which will drive the union of Africa, according to
Akufo-Addo. Ghana was not expecting a continental government
over night, but hoped the Summit would help strengthen the AU
Commission and reach agreement on financing the AU. The bulk
of AU funds need to come from within Africa, especially from
several key countries, he said, stressing the need for Africa
to "find its own locomotive". Akufo-Addo also hoped the AU
Summit would provide a better road map, with benchmarks, for
the process of African integration, including a clearer
definition of the AU's relationship with African regional
bodies. Akufo-Addo noted Ghana's support for the UN and
called for a more structured relationship between the UN
Security Council and the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of
the African Union.

Views from UNSC Ambassadors
--------------


9. (SBU) The UNSC Ambassadors offered the following
observations:

-- South Africa and the U.K. (Mission leaders for Ghana):
South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo agreed with the need
to strengthen the relationship between the AU's Peace and
Security Council and the UN. The UN would try to provide a
mechanism for assistance to the PSC, perhaps on a case by
case basis, given financing difficulties. U.K. Ambassador
Emyr Jones Parry agreed, emphasizing that the UN needs to do
more with the AU to help Africa. He noted what he saw as
significant positive change in Sudan and identified a slim
window of opportunity for reconciliation in Somalia. Both
thanked Ghana for its leadership in the AU and its positive
role in the UNSC.

-- U.S.: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad agreed with the need
to strengthen the capacity of the AU PSC and its relationship
with the UN. He stressed the need for continued engagement
and pressure on Sudan and said he would welcome Ghana's
contribution to the hybrid force. He thanked Ghana for its
willingness to contribute to AMISOM, stating that the U.S. is
will to help with this. There was a parallel need in Somalia
for political reconciliation and for putting in place a
peacekeeping mechanism, he said. He appreciated Ghana's
willingness to speak out on Zimbabwe and thought the AU could
play an important role in establishing conditions for an
election in Zimbabwe.

-- France: Ambassador Jean Marc de La Sabliere agreed that
there was the real prospect for normalcy in Cote d'Ivoire and
that credible elections were key. He saw the need for a
renewed UNSC mandate for peacekeeping forces in Cote
d'Ivoire. There needed to be more clarity about the
significance of the recent transfer of election tasks to a
Special Representative, as well as the outcome of a recent
meeting between Compoare, Gbagbo and Sorro. He relayed AU
Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare's belief that the
AU could play a greater role in promoting political dialogue
in the DRC.

-- Russia: Ambassador Konstantin Dolgov agreed with the
need to work closely with the Government of Sudan and thought
AU support was critical. The conditions in Somalia were not
ripe for UN troops to support AU efforts, absent more
progress on the political front, he said.

-- Others: Slovak Ambassador Peter Burian hoped the AU
would participate in an upcoming seminar in Pretoria on the
strategic process for security sector reform (Akufo-Addo
agreed the AU should participate). Italian Ambassador Aldo

ACCRA 00001375 003 OF 003


Mantovani urged continued pressure on Somalia. Chinese
Ambassador Wang Guangya urged the AU to take the lead on
behalf of the international community on African issues and
saw the need to give the AU priority over other regional
organizations.

President Kufuor Favors AU Forces to Somalia
--------------


10. (SBU) In a separate meeting with the UNSC Mission,
President Kufuor said some measure of stability was essential
in Somalia before there could be much progress on the
political front. Ghana and other African countries were
prepared to contribute troops to AMISOM (Ghanaian troops have
been ready for one year, he said) but logistical and other
assistance has not been forthcoming, he stated. He urged the
UN to deliver on its assistane promises. On Sudan, he hoped
every effort would be made to facilitate political dialogue
and deploy the proposed hybrid force.

Meeting with Effah-Appenteng: Sudan and Ethiopia/Eritrea
-------------- --------------


11. (SBU) On the margins of the UNSC meetings, Ambassador
Khalilzad met with newly named Presidential Special Advisor
on the African Union and Ghana's former Ambassador to the
United Nations Nana Effah-Appenteng. Effah-Appenteng was
cautiously optimistic about Sudan, agreeing with the need to
maintain pressure on President Bashir. He thought President
Bush's threatened sanctions had helped make Bashir more
cooperative. Ambassador Khalilzad asked if he thought there
was a potential regional role. Effah-Appenteng saw the
possible benefit of a regional contact group, given the
mistrust than hampers bilateral efforts and the complicated
role played by Chad. He would explore President Kufuor's
thoughts on whether it would be helpful for the UN to play a
catalytic role in this. Ambassador Khalilzad hoped Ghana
would contribute to the hybrid force


12. (SBU) On the Ethiopia/Eritrea border dispute,
Effah-Appenteng said that on paper Ghana had relations with
Eritrea, but this did not mean much in reality. Influencing
Eritrea was difficult, but he suggested we engage Egypt or
possibly the Gulf states as an intermediary. Ethiopia's
position is complicated by its involvement in Somalia, he
added. (Note: In a separate discussion with PolChief June
18, MFA Supervising Director for Africa and the African Union

C. Nii Amon Kotey said the GOG did not have new ideas for
tackling the Ethiopia/Eritrea border dispute. It was a
long-standing, difficult problem which he hoped would
eventually solve itself. End note.)

Comment
--------------


13. (SBU) The atmospherics of the UNSC Mission visit to
Ghana were excellent. The Ghanaians were hospitable and
informed. Akufo-Addo and Kufuor clearly were pleased with
the praise Ghana received and used the occasion to highlight
Ghana's 50th anniversary Jubilee and its recent achievements
(including a discovery of oil announced on the day of the
UNSC Mission visit). President Kufuor's plea for previously
promised assistance is a clear sign that Ghana remains
committed to contributing to AMISOM. Ambassador Khalilzad
encourages the Department to do what we can to respond to
Ghana's request for help with this deployment.









BROWN