CIVIL SOCIETY PLANS DEMONSTRATIONS THROUGHOUT

UNCLAS CONAKRY 000992 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM ASEC GV SUBJECT: CIVIL SOCIETY PLANS DEMONSTRATIONS THROUGHOUT COUNTRY ON SEPT 4 REF: CONAKRY 00960 ¶1. (SBU) A close Embassy contact said that civil society organizations plan to hold peaceful demonstrations on September 4 in the capitals of each of the country's eight regions. The contact, Bakary Fofana, Vice President for Economic and Social Affairs for the National Council of Civil Society Organizations (CNOSC),told poloff August 30 that participants will conduct meetings and likely march in the streets in order to demonstrate support for Prime Minister Lansana Kouyate and the consensus government. Fofana, who is also the Director of Programs for IFES (formerly the International Foundation for Election Systems),said that the demonstrations are planned, in part, to counter the PUP rally held on August 17 (reftel). ¶2. (SBU) In accordance with Guinean law, which requires that appropriate government officials be notified at least three days before any planned demonstration, CNOSC has already filed the appropriate documents with each region's prefect. Fofana said the CNOSC intentionally chose to notify the prefects, who were recently appointed by the Prime Minister, rather than the locally elected government officials who are mainly members of the majority bloc, the Party for Unity and Progress (PUP). ¶3. (SBU) In addition to the demonstrations, a technical committee composed of five representatives each from the CNOSC, the unions, and the Patronat, will hold a retreat in Fria (two hours north of Conakry) from September 4 to September 7 during which they will develop a new action strategy. Fofana said that the committee will look at ways in which they can assure political change and mobilize people and resources. This new strategy is intended to define a framework through the end of 2008. ¶4. (SBU) The CNOSC,s planned activities follow a small, peaceful demonstration in Conakry on August 25, which Fofana said was organized primarily by the Young People's Forum, which is also a member of the CNOSC. According to observers, this demonstration was advocating in favor of change in general and not necessarily in support of Kouyate,s government. BROKENSHIRE