NIGERIA NOT INCLINED TO RECOGNIZE KOSOVO AT THIS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 000344 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV UNAUS UNMIK YI EU KV NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA NOT INCLINED TO RECOGNIZE KOSOVO AT THIS TIME REF: A. SECSTATE 17891 ¶B. ABUJA 312 ¶C. ABUJA 296 Classified By: Political Counselor Walter Pflaumer for reasons 1.4. (b d). ¶1. (C) Ref A suggests that the GON has privately indicated its inclination to recognize Kosovo. In ref B, we reported that President Yar'Adua had indicated to the Ambassador that Nigeria would take time to see what its neighbors were doing, and would evaluate what was in its best interest before deciding what to do. We also reported (in refs B and C) that the Foreign Minister and MFA have repeatedly told us that Nigeria will likely follow a common African Union position (once there is one) on recognizing Kosovo. It is very unlikely that this position will change any time soon, and they have not indicated to us privately that they are on the verge or even close to recognizing Kosovo. ¶2. (C) President Yar'Adua and his administration are strongly focused on the question of how the Presidential Election Tribunal will rule February 26 on the validity of his April 2007 election. A ruling against him (which we believe might be a possibility, see septel) would require a rerun of the election later this year. Under these circumstances, the President is unlikely to take any decisive action on other issues at the moment, particularly anything that does not have an immediate domestic impact. Things in Abuja are on hold right now. SANDERS