PM OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ELECTIONS DURING AMBASSADOR'S

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 001245 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM ASEC GV SUBJECT: PM OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ELECTIONS DURING AMBASSADOR'S COURTESY CALL ¶1. SUMMARY. (SBU) In the Ambassador,s initial courtesy call on the prime minister, Kouyate was relaxed and upbeat. He was optimistic about progress on elections and said that he expects the CENI decree to be signed before the end of November. However, Kouyate noted that USG assistance for training to the CENI and for addressing the $19 million elections budget shortfall would be welcome. In a separate, unplanned side meeting, the Ministry of Youth and Culture complained about his treatment during a recent visa interview. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Prime Minister Lansana Kouyate warmly welcomed Ambassador Carter in his office on November 14 for the Ambassador,s initial courtesy call. Having already met each other in Washington when the Ambassador was the AF/W Director, Kouyate was noticeably comfortable and eager to engage in an open, friendly discussion. Kouyate,s Chief of Staff, Mme. Macauley Alfia Diallo, and poloff also attended the meeting, which was followed by a brief, on camera press interview. -------------- CENI BEFORE THE END OF NOVEMBER -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Kouyate was optimistic about Guinea,s delayed elections and said that everything is moving forward. He noted that with President Conte,s recent signature of the law authorizing the creation of the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI ) see reftel),he expects the CENI decree, which approves the nominations of 25 CENI members, to be signed before the end of November. Kouyate said he had talked to President Conte the day before and is sure that &everything will advance.8 He added that if the President does not sign the decree within a few weeks, Kouyate will sign it himself. ¶4. (SBU) The prime minister emphasized that the elections cannot move forward without the CENI officially in place. He acknowledged recent criticism with respect to technical teams from the European Union who came to Guinea to begin the first stage of the EU elections assistance project, but were prevented from conducting their mission because the CENI had not yet been established. Kouyate said that failure to ensure CENI oversight of critical election processes could potentially open the door to disputes over election results. Kouyate added that he wants to ensure that the elections are free and fair ) &the best in Africa,8 he said. -------------- -------------- POLITICAL PARTIES READY, BUT CIVIL SOCIETY DIVIDED -------------- -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In response to the Ambassador,s inquiry about relations with the individual political parties, Kouyate said that the parties are not a problem and that they are ready to move forward on elections. He noted that he had some difficulty with them previously when certain opposition parties could not agree on their CENI nominees, but that the problem has since been resolved. However, Kouyate said that there are currently some difficulties with the unions and civil society, which he said are increasingly divided. He added that he has been talking to them regularly in order to try and resolve some of the issues. -------------- AREAS FOR USG ASSISTANCE -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The Ambassador asked Kouyate what the USG could do to assist with elections, noting that some financial assistance has already been identified. Kouyate said that training for the CENI is absolutely critical. In addition, he noted that the Government of Guinea needs help addressing the $19 million elections budget shortfall, a figure that did not include CENI operating costs. ¶7. (SBU) Kouyate also mentioned the military as an area where USG assistance could be particularly useful, especially with respect to equipment and training. He added that with the GoG,s recent efforts to provide troops to ECOWAS, assistance is needed more than ever. ¶8. (SBU) Before closing the meeting, the Ambassador encouraged Kouyate to consider his government,s public relations campaign, noting that Kouyate has several concrete accomplishments that should be more broadly publicized. Kouyate said he is working on it, but his main priority is to focus on successful results first and talking about them second. CONAKRY 00001245 002 OF 002 -------------- MINISTER OF YOUTH MAD ABOUT A VISA -------------- ¶9. (SBU) While waiting for the meeting with the prime minister, the Minister of Youth and Culture, Baidi Aribot, entered the waiting room and told the Ambassador that he had a complaint he wanted to discuss. Without even a cursory greeting, he launched into a twenty minute oratory regarding his treatment at the U.S. Embassy during a visa interview. The Minister complained that he had to wait for nearly 45 minutes in the same room as all the other visa applicants. He said that he was not asking that U.S. law be applied differently to him, but that he should be treated differently because of his rank. The Ambassador emphasized that the USG has strict requirements, but that he would review Embassy receiving procedures. (COMMENT ) The overall tone of the meeting was decidedly negative. USAID reports that at a separate function during which the Minister was supposed to participate, he showed up 90 minutes late, and once there, chastized the organizers for doing the event outside in the heat. END COMMENT). -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Kouyate was relaxed and up beat about his government,s general progress. He was eager to receive the Ambassador and had actually called a break to his cabinet meeting in order to do so. As an initial courtesy call, the meeting went very smoothly, which bodes well for future meetings, which will focus on tougher questions and issues. END COMMENT. CARTER