Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08CONAKRY237
2008-05-28 14:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Conakry
Cable title:  

COMMENTS FROM FORMER PRIME MINISTER DIALLO, HEAD

Tags:  PGOV PREL KDEM ASEC GV 
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VZCZCXRO5210
PP RUEHPA
DE RUEHRY #0237/01 1491425
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 281425Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY CONAKRY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2579
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CONAKRY 000237 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/28/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM ASEC GV
SUBJECT: COMMENTS FROM FORMER PRIME MINISTER DIALLO, HEAD
OF UFDG OPPOSITION

REF: A. CONAKRY 0219

B. CONAKRY 0007

C. CONAKRY 0224 - 0229

D. CONAKRY 0231

Classified By: POL/ECON CHIEF SHANNON CAZEAU FOR REASON 1.4 B AND D

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CONAKRY 000237

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/28/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM ASEC GV
SUBJECT: COMMENTS FROM FORMER PRIME MINISTER DIALLO, HEAD
OF UFDG OPPOSITION

REF: A. CONAKRY 0219

B. CONAKRY 0007

C. CONAKRY 0224 - 0229

D. CONAKRY 0231

Classified By: POL/ECON CHIEF SHANNON CAZEAU FOR REASON 1.4 B AND D


1. SUMMARY. Former Prime Minister Cellou Diallo, who is also
the current president of the UFDG opposition political party,
says he will support the new PM as long as he commits to
continued progress towards improved governance, legislative
elections, and economic reforms. He was highly critical of
the former prime minister who he said failed to define a
clear program. Cellou likely knows more than he was willing
to say, but he shared his views on the presidency, the prime
minister, the current military mutiny, and elections. END
SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) On May 28, Poloff met with former Prime Minister
Cellou Dallein Diallo at his private residence, which also
serves as the headquarters of his opposition political party,
the Union of Guinean Democratic Forces (UFDG). Also present
was Aliou Conde, Secretary General of the party and a former
minister of transportation during Cellou Diallo's
administration.

--------------
VIEWS ON THE NEW PRIME MINISTER
--------------


3. (SBU) When asked about his views on the current political
situation and the appointment of a new prime minister (reftel
A),Cellou said that the UFDG had issued a declaration that
makes his position clear. He said he is looking for the PM
to make concrete progress towards improved governance,
legislative elections within the targeted timeframe, and
continued economic reforms. Cellou said that if the PM
demonstrates his commitment to these priorities, the UFDG
will support him. He added that members of his party will
not accept to be appointed to Souare's administration if the
PM appears to have other priorities.


4. (C) Cellou was close-mouthed when it came to commenting
on Souare in more personal terms, despite the fact that they
are considered friends, and that Cellou is responsible for
bringing Souare into government since he appointed him as his
Minister of Mines. (COMMENT. Souare also distanced himself
from Cellou towards the end of Cellou's administration, and

was then appointed as the Minister of Higher Education when a
new government was formed under former Secretary General of
the Presidency Fode Bangorah. END COMMENT).


5. (C) He was equally close-mouthed as to possible reasons
for appointing Souare as PM. Cellou told Poloff that the
appointment is a reflection of the president's confidence in
Souare, adding "I have no idea what criteria he was looking
at or what his motivations were." Cellou emphasized that
former Prime Minister Lansana Kouyate had to be dismissed
because he wasn't doing the job, but that Kouyate's dismissal
is a separate issue from that of who was chosen as the new
PM. When Poloff asked whether Souare may have been chosen in
part because of his ethnicity (he is a Peuhl),given rumored
concerns about possible efforts to divide the population
along ethnic lines, Cellou said "I am Peuhl too, but that is
not a selection criterion for being appointed prime
minister." Poloff also asked whether Cellou thought that
members of Conte's entourage may have been behind Souare's
appointment. He said that the president listens to many
people and then makes a decision.

--------------
KOUYATE HAD TO GO
--------------


6. (C) With respect to the consensus government, Cellou was
eager to discuss Kouyate's failures. According to Cellou,
Kouyate failed miserably and the president had no choice but
to replace him. He said that Kouyate continually made
promises right and left, but never considered whether or not
he could keep those promises. As an example, he mentioned
Kouyate's promise to improve the power supply in Conakry.
"He made the promise, and then told the power company to buy
more fuel, run the generators, and give the people power. He
didn't think about the fact that people refuse to pay for
electricity, which means that he couldn't sustain the
policy." Cellou commented that Kouyate did not have the
necessary experience to effectively govern the country.


CONAKRY 00000237 002 OF 003



7. (C) Poloff asked Cellou about perceived political
constraints in working with the presidency, and whether
Souare may be less constrained given his closer relationship
with Conte. Cellou scoffed and said that compared to when he
was prime minister, Kouyate was not constrained at all. "The
PM's situation now is nothing like what we were up against
years ago," he said. He added that the president is not
interested in governing the country.


8. (C) When Poloff asked about potential blockages from the
president's entourage, Cellou said again that the situation
is completely different than it was before. He pointed out
that Kouyate had the freedom to appoint his own government,
all the way down to governors, prefects, and sous-prefects, a
freedom none of predecessors enjoyed. According to Cellou,
previous PMs were blocked by Conte cronies who were also part
of the cabinet, but that the small group around Conte now is
actually outside the government, which makes the situation
more manageable. He acknowledged that the president's
entourage can still cause problems, mentioning the
president's fabled New Year's speech (reftel B),but that in
general, they are irrelevant.


9. (C) According to Cellou, Kouyate's principal failure was
that he lacked direction. "He failed to put forth a clear
program, a direction, and then execute it," he said. Cellou
said that if Souare wants to succeed, he needs to have a
defined program and then work towards achieving it.

--------------
MILITARY MUTINY - 1000 QUESTIONS
--------------


10. (C) Turning to the ongoing military mutiny (reftels C
and D),Poloff asked whether this latest mutiny represents a
departure from those of the past. Cellou said the whole
thing is quite "curious." When asked to clarify, he said
that he finds it strange that the military is mutinying just
a few days after a new prime minister was sworn in rather
than waiting to see what changes the new government will
bring. "I have a 1000 questions," he told Poloff. "Why
General Diallo? Why now?," he added. According to Cellou,
the military is poorly managed. He said that at least since
1996, the military has developed into an undisciplined
institution in which junior officers dictate how the Ministry
is run. "The soldiers should have absolutely no say in who
is appointed as minister of defense," he said, "but this is
the third time they have successfully mutinied and had the
minister fired."


11. (C) With respect to whether the current situation is
different from those of the past, Cellou said that the
current mutiny does not seem all that different from ones he
has seen before. He pointed out that the 1996 mutiny was
initially organized in order to demand the dismissal of the
defense minister. When the mutineers obtained their initial
objective, they started making additional demands, until the
mutiny turned into a coup d'etat. (COMMENT. In 1996, the
military attacked the Presidential Palace and took President
Conte into custody. However, no one stepped up to take over
the presidency, so they eventually released Conte after the
GoG granted concessions. END COMMENT.)

--------------
ELECTIONS - FOCUSING ON THE DIASPORA
--------------


12. (SBU) Poloff mentioned recent Embassy trips into the
interior and the apparent lack of preparations, and in some
cases, interest, in upcoming legislative elections. Cellou
shrugged his shoulders and said "once we start campaigning
and informing people, that will change." Poloff acknowledged
that political parties cannot legally begin campaigning until
a few weeks before elections, but asked if the UFDG has been
traveling in the interior of the country. Cellou said that
he has been traveling to neighboring countries to speak with
the Guinean diaspora, but that he has not yet traveled within
Guinea.


13. (SBU) Poloff also noted the apparent passivity in some
parts of the country with respect to elections, saying that
although people seem to want elections, they are not actively
pushing to have them in a timely, transparent way. Cellou
said that political parties are responsible for informing the
voters and that everything will fall into place once the
political campaigns get underway. Poloff stressed that civil
society has a critical role to play in elections education,
and that they should be the primary voices for voter

CONAKRY 00000237 003 OF 003


education. Cellou nodded his head, but did not look like he
agreed.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


14. (C) Cellou guards information closely. His refusal to
comment on the new prime minister and his claimed ignorance
as to the circumstances around his appointment could mean
that Cellou really is outside the current political nexus,
and simply uninformed. However, it is more likely that he is
right in the middle of it. In the past, Cellou has said that
he is interested in becoming president, and the recent turn
of events puts him in a better position to achieve that goal.
He may have fallen out of favor with the president, but he
is still well connected, especially within the Peuhl
community. He may very well know much more than he lets on.
END COMMENT.
CARTER