KUFUOR SUGGESTS MOROCCO AS POTENTIAL AFRICOM SITE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ACCRA 001573 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/24/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR MOPS GH SUBJECT: KUFUOR SUGGESTS MOROCCO AS POTENTIAL AFRICOM SITE Classified By: AMB. PAMELA E. BRIDGEWATER FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: On July 11, President Kufuor told Ambassador and General William E. Ward, Deputy Commander, US European Command that, in principle, AFRICOM is a &good8 thing. Kufuor then focused on the future placement of AFRICOM,s headquarters and urged the U.S. to work closely with the African Union (AU) in selecting a site. Interestingly, he suggested that the U.S. consider placing AFRICOM in Morocco citing its infrastructure and stability as assets. Perhaps most important, however, is the fact that Morocco is not in the AU. Kufuor spoke predominantly as AU Chairman rather than as President of Ghana. His statements reflect those of others and seem to indicate that most observers are primarily worried about where AFRICOM,s headquarters will be rather than its mission. End summary. ¶2. (C) On July 11, Ambassador and General William E. Ward, Deputy Commander, US European Command and U.S. Presidential Designate for AFRICOM Commander, the latter stopping for fuel en route to South Africa, met with President Kufuor to discuss Africa Command. General Ward explained to President Kufuor Africa Command,s general goals and aims, i.e. to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to Africa, enhance partnerships, and facilitate stronger relations with the African Union. This would be accomplished, General Ward said, with a command composed of entities not traditionally found in combatant commands, such as the Department of State and NGOs, since these non-military agencies play critical parts in the command,s goals and aims in Africa. ¶3. (C) President Kufuor, for his part, agreed that conceptually AFRICOM is a "good" thing. He then transitioned into his AU Chairman role and focused on the implications of the selection of physical basing for AFRICOM on the continent. The President emphasized more than once that the U.S. should be very careful and work closely with the AU in its process of selecting AFRICOM,s headquarters. He said the U.S. should engage in very deliberate and careful diplomacy in this process and cautioned against haste. Working only bilaterally with countries to decide on the physical placement of AFRICOM could cause rifts in the AU, according to Kufuor. He went on to say that some members of the AU could see a bilateral decision for AFRICOM,s headquarters as a &Trojan Horse8. He indicated that some could use the decision of placing Africa Command on the continent as a device to cause discord in the union. ¶4. (C) Interestingly, Kufuor recommended looking at Morocco as a possible location due to its strong independent nature, infrastructure, relative stability, strength, and finally and perhaps most importantly, its non-membership in the AU.(Comment: During the AU summit held in Accra July 1-3, there was mention of the absence of Morocco in the AU and the hope that it would join AU ranks in the future. End comment.) ¶5. (C) Comment: Kufuor spoke more in his role as Chairman of the AU than as President of Ghana. While he apparently agrees that the idea of an AFRICOM is sound, he has concerns that the selection and then placement of it will cause rifts in the AU. He recommended a slow and deliberate process which works closely and multilaterally with AU nations, taking into account their thoughts and recommendations. The placement of AFRICOM physically on the continent is and will likely remain a more significant issue than the concept and goals of the command itself, at least from the perspective of the President of Ghana in his role as Chairman of the AU. End comment. ¶6. (U) This cable has been cleared by EUCOM. BRIDGEWATER BRIDGEWATER