Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ACCRA1585
2007-07-25 17:09:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Accra
Cable title:  

A/S FRAZER'S MEETINGS IN GHANA: SUDAN, SOMALIA, AU

Tags:  AU GH PGOV PREL SO SU 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ACCRA 001585 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS AND LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2017
TAGS: AU GH PGOV PREL SO SU
SUBJECT: A/S FRAZER'S MEETINGS IN GHANA: SUDAN, SOMALIA, AU
SUMMIT

REF: ACCRA 1438]

Classified By: PolChief Scott B. Ticknor for reasons 1.4 (d) and (e)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ACCRA 001585

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS AND LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2017
TAGS: AU GH PGOV PREL SO SU
SUBJECT: A/S FRAZER'S MEETINGS IN GHANA: SUDAN, SOMALIA, AU
SUMMIT

REF: ACCRA 1438]

Classified By: PolChief Scott B. Ticknor for reasons 1.4 (d) and (e)


1. (C) Summary: On the margins of the July 18-19 AGOA Forum
in Accra, Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Jendayi
Frazer and NSC Special Assistant to the President on African
Affairs Bobby Pittman met with senior GOG officials,
including outgoing Foreign Minister Akufo-Addo and President
Kufuor for discussions focused on Sudan and Somalia, but also
covering the AU Summit, the Middle East, and West Africa
(septel). On Sudan, President Kufuor was more cautious than
other senior GOG officials, saying that as AU Chair he did
not want to be at odds with the other African UNSC members,
especially South Africa (comment: This has been Kufuor,s
consistent message. End comment.) On Somalia, the GOG
requested we send planners to prepare for Ghana's AMIS troop
contribution (A/S Frazer said we would send them). Foreign
Minister Akufo-Addo was pleased that the recent AU Summit
effectively blocked Khadaffi's vision for African unity, in
favor of greater integration in specific technical areas. End
summary.


2. (SBU) A/S Frazer delivered the following message on Sudan
in all her meetings: 1) the transition from AMIS to a hybrid
force needs to happen by October 1, 2007; 2) there is a need
for a Chapter VII mandate for the protection of civilians and
humanitarian assistance; and 3) the hybrid force in Darfur
needs a single, unified command and control structure,
ultimately reporting to the UN. The USG does
not believe reference to the Committee of Experts is
necessary in the resolution, and does not have redlines on
this matter, she said. She noted that the Government of
Sudan had already edited the text of a draft resolution, but
UNDPKO was pushing back on the October 1 start-up date. It
was important for countries with troops on the ground in
Darfur to press for the October 1 date, she added, stressing
the need for Ghana's leadership on the Darfur issue.

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


3. (C) Nana Effah-Apenteng, Advisor to President Kufuor on

the AU and Ghana's former Ambassador to the UN, told A/S
Frazer he hoped Ghana would be able to co-sponsor a UNSC
resolution on Sudan but said this decision would be made at
the highest levels of the GOG and that Ghana's preferred
outcome was a consensus resolution, preferably achieved while
China was still chair of the UNSC. He noted that in
the past the GOG withdrew from co-sponsoring after Sudanese
President Bashir objected. Effah-Apenteng thought no African
country, including Ghana, would oppose the October 1 date.
He agreed with the need for unity of command and control and
shared our frustration with UNPKO delays. He thought Ghana
would not insist on the Committee of Experts language but saw
the need for someone to monitor implementation of the
resolution.


4. (C) Foreign Minister Nana Akufo-Addo agreed that the UN
was not being helpful on Darfur but said Ghana has a
difficult position, as both AU Chair and a UNSC member. He
hoped to get an African consensus on a resolution. He
thought South African and Congo-Brazzaville were not fully on
board with a Chapter VII mandate.


5. (C) Secretary and Advisor to the President D.K. Osei
said President Kufuor would have "no problem at all" with the
U.S. position on the October 1 date, Chapter VII and command
and control. Osei opined that Ghana's Ambassador to the UN
Leslie Christian was not aggressive enough and said he would
call him to ask him to consult with the U.S. right away.
(Note: Osei placed the call and instructed Christian during
the meeting. End Note) Osei noted that Kufuor feels he needs
to represent the AU, not Ghana alone, and would not want to
contradict AU Commissioner Alpha Oumar Konare or take a
stance at odds with the other two African countries on the
UNSC. According to Osei, President Kufuor also fears that a
more independent stance would provide ammunition to Libyan
President Muammar Khadaffi (Osei said the GOG now has even
more credible evidence of Khadaffi's subversive efforts
during the AU Summit than Kufuor shared with Ambassador
Bridgewater in June, per reftel). Osei was reluctant to see
compromise on the Committee of Experts language. He thought

ACCRA 00001585 002 OF 003


South Africa's President Mbeki had diminished his stature
with his stance on Bashir and noted that South African
Ambassador to the UN Kumalo appears to be at odds with
Pretoria on Sudan.


6. (C) Osei then invited Frazer to an unscheduled meeting
with President Kufuor in the room next door. Striking a more
cautious note than Osei, Kufuor told Frazer that Ghana's
position on the UNSC was "tricky", since the GOG did not want
to be out of step with the other two African UNSC members.
He said Ghana would always want to go along with South Africa
and if South Africa is on board with the
October 1 date, Chapter VII and command and control, Ghana
would also support it, "leading from behind." It was
important to make Bashir feel like he has input into the
command and control to retain his cooperation, Kufuor added.

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


7. (C) Foreign Minister Akufo-Addo was somewhat encouraged
that the Somalis appear serious about national reconciliation
and political inclusion. Ghana has notified the USG of its
required support to send troops to Somalia, he said, noting
that during his recent visit to Ghana U.S. Ambassador to the
U.N. Zalmay Khalilzad had told the GOG the U.S. was ready to
provide this support. Akufo-Addo said the GOG was ready for
U.S. planners for such a deployment to come to Ghana,
"tomorrow". In A/S Frazer's
meeting with President Kufuor, D.K. Osei said Presidential
Advisor General (Retd.) Seth Obeng had begun discussions with
U.S. Ambassador to the AU Cindy Courville about such
planners. A/S Frazer told Akufo-Addo and President Kufuor
that we would send the planners.

Middle East
--------------


8. (U) The Foreign Minister asked A/S Frazer what could be
done to improve the situation in the Middle East. The
majority of Africans sympathize with Palestine and view the
Palestine issue as the main factor driving radicalization in
the region, separate from all other problems in the Middle
East, Akufo-Addo said. Frazer highlighted USG efforts to
obtain a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel, but
also stressed the key role of improving governance and
democracy in the region to address the primary cause of
radicalization of the Arab Street. Some Arab states are
using the Palestinian issue for domestic political reasons,
she said.

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


9. (C) Akufo-Addo was pleased with the July 1-3 African
Union Summit in Accra, which he thought reached a "sensible
conclusion". One of the goals of the GOG and others leading
up to the Summit was to "give direction" to the "incessant
demands" for African unity from President Khadaffi, which the
Foreign Minister thought could have been destabilizing. As a
result of this summit, there was now a "clear, strong
consensus" represented in the Accra Declaration, including a
framework for progress on
African integration. Akufo-Addo thought Ugandan President
Museveni in particular played a very valuable, constructive
role at the Summit by arguing convincingly for the need to
focus integration on specific, practical areas of cooperation
such as economic integration, the environment and trade,
rather than to dwell on "loud proclamations of African
unity". The Foreign Minister regretted there was not
sufficient time at the Summit to deal with security
challenges in Somalia, Darfur and elsewhere.

Praise for President Bush: Request for an FTA
--------------


10. (U) D.K. Osei noted that "the people of Ghana were very
disappointed" with Secretary Rice's canceled trip to the AGOA
Forum. Nonetheless, Osei said Kufuor appreciated Rice's
phone call to him and felt that President Bush had not taken
sufficient credit for what he has done to benefit Africa. In
A/S Frazer's meeting with Kufuor, the Ghanaian President
praised President Bush for "opening America up

ACCRA 00001585 003 OF 003


for Africa," and expressed interest in a Free Trade Agreement
with the United States.


11. (C) Comment: President Kufuor is clearly making the
decisions on Somalia and Sudan and is very cautious as AU
Chair, trying to accommodate other African countries rather
than take the lead in the decision making. He commented that
if he took a different position from other African countries
on the Security Council "this would not be leadership". We
have begun consultations with Washington on getting planners
for the Ghana deployment to Somalia. The GOG had earlier
told us they did not need our planners, but the Foreign
Minister and President could not be clearer that they now
want U.S. planners as soon as possible. The participation in
the Kufuor meeting of D.K. Osei and in the Akufo-Addo meeting
of Ghana's next Foreign Minister, Akwasi Osei-Adjei, should
help keep the message from the GOG consistent on Sudan and
Somalia.


12. (U) This message was cleared by Assistant Secretary
Frazer.
BRIDGEWATER