ANJOUAN'S COLONEL BACAR ON FRANCOPHONIE VISIT

UNCLAS ANTANANARIVO 000078 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS ADDIS FOR AMBASSADOR COURVILLE DEPT FOR AF/E, AF/FO, INR/AA, AND DRL DEPT FOR DS/IP/AF/E RMEDRANO PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS KDEM PHUM PINR CN SUBJECT: ANJOUAN'S COLONEL BACAR ON FRANCOPHONIE VISIT ¶1. (SBU) In a public announcement, Anjouan's renegade Colonel Bacar offered his spin on talks with La Francophonie Envoy Salifou January ¶23. Bacar said he held talks with Salifou on "the crisis born of the Union Government's arbitrary decision to postpone island elections in Anjouan and other violations which are entirely the fault of the Union." Noting talks about Anjouan held in Cape Town and Pretoria in 2007, Bacar blamed President Sambi for "intransigence" and for "refusing to admit Union errors in order to peacefully resolve the crisis." ¶2. (SBU) In the announcement, Bacar emphasized that Salifou's mission was to collect information so that "La Francophonie could participate in the resolution of the ongoing crisis and take part in discussions January 31 in Addis Ababa." ¶3. (SBU) COMMENT: Union President Sambi was ambivalent about Salifou's mission to Anjouan, neither blocking it nor interested in its outcome. African Union Envoy Madeira, who had difficult relations with la Francophonie and with Salifou during the 2006 presidential elections, expressed disappointment to EmbOff that the AU was not consulted beforehand. Still holding out hope the AU sanctions will have an effect on Bacar, Madeira indicated Salifou's mission may have undermined the AU and offered more legitimacy to the Anjouan leader. END COMMENT. MARQUARDT