AMBASSADOR,S MEETING WITH MINISTER OF INTERIOR AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 001249 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEC GV SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR,S MEETING WITH MINISTER OF INTERIOR AND SECURITY - ELECTIONS, POLICE AND DRUGS REF: A. CONAKRY 1245 ¶B. CONAKRY 1225 Classified By: POL/ECON CHIEF SHANNON CAZEAU FOR REASON 1.4 B AND D ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Guinea,s Minister of Interior offered a number of assurances to the Ambassador during his initial courtesy call on November 16, although he was not necessarily convincing. The Minister said that elections should move forward soon and that the Guinean Government will assure non-partisan neutrality within its ranks. He confirmed that the GoG plans to hire 6,600 new police officers, but its new police academy facility is severely limited. Finally, the Minister said that there has been a marked increase in drug trafficking through Guinea over the last year. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Ambassador Carter met with Beau Keita, Minister of Interior and Security (MIS) on November 16 for his initial courtesy call. The formal discussion touched on Guinea,s postponed legislative elections, plans for a new police academy, and drug trafficking. The Ambassador was accompanied by the RSO and poloff. -------------- BIO NOTES -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Minister Keita was appointed in March 2007 by Prime Minister Lansana Kouyate as part of Guinea,s new consensus government. Born in 1957, Keita has a law degree from the University of Conakry and did post-graduate study at the Moscow Police Academy in Russia. A long-time GoG bureaucrat, Minister Keita rose through the ranks, serving subsequently in a number of deputy level positions within the Guinean police force, as the Director of the Police Academy, the Director of Investigations, the Director of the Judicial Police, and the Deputy Director General of the Police. Before becoming Minister, Keita was the Chief of Staff within the Ministry of Security. ¶4. (SBU) Minister Keita is married and has seven children. He speaks French and Russian. Keita is also reportedly close to the Prime Minister - they both hail from the same prefecture of Kouroussa. -------------- WAITING ON THE CENI -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Echoing the prime minister,s November 13 comments (reftel A),Keita said that he is certain the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) will be established soon. He said that with President Lansana Conte,s signature on the actual law (reftel B),the decree listing the 25 CENI members should soon follow. Keita added that a building has already been identified to house CENI operations. However, Keita said that once the CENI is in place, it will need equipment and financing, not only for the 25 CENI members, but for the considerable number of support staff such an operation entails. Keita emphasized that donor assistance in this regard is critical. The Ambassador mentioned that the U.S. Government plans to provide $400,000 in technical assistance to the MIS as well as $300,000 to the CENI. -------------- GOVERNMENT NEUTRALITY GUARANTEED -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Turning to elections administration, the Ambassador commented that some Guineans are concerned about the GoG,s ability to maintain neutrality and asked the Minister how he plans to address this issue. Keita said that the current government is already neutral since many of the administrative officials have been replaced, including the ministers, governors, prefects, and sous-prefects. &For the first time, our administration is non-partisan,8 he said. Keita added that unlike in the past, government officials no longer participate in political party rallies or events. The Minister assured the Ambassador that administrative neutrality would not be an issue during the elections. -------------- -- NEW POLICE ACADEMY, BUT NO WATER OR ELECTRICITY -------------- -- ¶7. (SBU) The Ambassador asked the Minister about plans to hire several thousand new police officers and establish a national police academy. Keita said that they have already selected a site for the police academy, but that it is 120 km from Conakry and has only minimal access to water and no electricity. The Minister said that electricity is not CONAKRY 00001249 002 OF 002 really a major problem, but the lack of water constrains the maximum capacity of the facility. Keita clarified that the academy can only accommodate 1,200 recruits at any one time, so the Ministry is planning to cycle through 1,200 officers every nine months until it reaches its hiring goal of 6,600. The Minister added that any USG assistance for the academy or the police in general would be welcome. -------------- INCREASED DRUG TRAFFICKING THROUGH GUINEA -------------- ¶8. (SBU) In response to questions about increased drug trafficking through Guinea, the Minister said that there has been a marked increase in drug trafficking, particularly over the last nine months. He added that drug crackdowns in Senegal and Mauritania have caused traffickers to travel more frequently through Guinea and Guinea Bissau. Keita said that the MIS is actively working with partners to address the problem, especially European destination countries such as France and Spain. Keita also commented that drug trafficking brings high levels of corruption. He noted that there is a significant amount of money laundering occurring in the country and that most of the money connected to drug trafficking eventually leaves the country. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) Although the meeting was cordial, the Minister,s comments and their delivery suggest that he was reciting a standard response, especially on elections questions. He also made a number of misstatements. With respect to administrative neutrality, Keita said that sous-prefects have already been replaced, which is not true. In addition, he said that government officials do not participate in partisan political events, which is also false ) ruling Party for Unity and Progress (PUP) contacts reported that a number of mayors and other officials were eager to welcome them and participate in their events during their September tour of the interior. Numerous contacts have indicated that it is critical that the government is perceived as a neutral entity capable of administering credible, transparent elections. Keita,s comment that this is not a problem suggests a problematic disconnect with the population at large. ¶10. (C) Keita seems to be very accustomed to speaking to donor countries and saying what he knows they want to hear. However, his assurances were not particularly convincing. At the same time, by putting him on the spot, we now have the ability to go back to him if things do not proceed as he says they will ) and call on him to deliver on what he promised. END COMMENT. CARTER