Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08CONAKRY815
2008-12-31 16:26:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Conakry
Cable title:  

RELIGIOUS LEADER SEES COUP AND CNDD AS A POLITICAL

Tags:  PGOV PREL SOCI ASEC GV 
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VZCZCXRO8080
PP RUEHPA
DE RUEHRY #0815/01 3661626
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 311626Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY CONAKRY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3286
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000815 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI ASEC GV
SUBJECT: RELIGIOUS LEADER SEES COUP AND CNDD AS A POLITICAL
CASTASTROPHE

Classified By: POL/ECON CHIEF SHANNON CAZEAU FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D
)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000815

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI ASEC GV
SUBJECT: RELIGIOUS LEADER SEES COUP AND CNDD AS A POLITICAL
CASTASTROPHE

Classified By: POL/ECON CHIEF SHANNON CAZEAU FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D
)


1. (C) SUMMARY. A respected Christian leader called
Guinea's recent coup d'etat and subsequent installation of
the Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD) a political
"catastrophe." He expressed disappointment over the lack of
civilian leadership and the general complacency with which
the population has accepted the new government. Contact
commented that the CNDD is inexperienced and unprepared for
the job ahead. He also said he was embarrassed over the way
in which the CNDD is interacting with the international
community. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) On December 31, Poloff met with Monsigneur Gomez,
the Anglican Archbishop and head of Guinea's Christian
Council. Embassy has met with Gomez many times in the past
to exchange views on Guinea's political and social situation.
Gomez is well respected by the general population and is
known for his balanced and thoughtful views on key issues.


3. (C) Although most Guineans seem to have welcomed the
December 23 coup and the subsequent installation of the
Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD),Monsigneur
Gomez did not share these sentiments. Through the course of
the meeting, he repeatedly expressed shock and disappointment
at how political events have evolved since President Conte's
death on December 22. Gomez said that he attended the
December 27 meeting between the CNDD and civil society
leaders and was "astonished and disappointed to see all the
politicians applauding." He commented that these leaders
should be at the front of a civilian effort to restore
civilian rule, but that instead, they are content to sit back
and trust that the new government is going to be better than
the last one.


4. (C) According to Gomez, the political parties are not
ready for elections, they lack a clear political agenda, and
they have little to stand on other than ethnic ties. He said
that the parties do not want to move to elections too fast
because everyone is focused on their personal interests,
namely becoming president, and want to ensure that they

develop a strong enough constituent base to guarantee their
victory. "These weaknesses are exactly what kept Conte
strong," Gomez said, adding "if the parties had been better
prepared when Conte was alive, we would not be in this
situation today."


5. (C) Gomez said that no one was surprised that the
military had seized power. "No one knew when it would happen
or who would do it, but we knew a coup was coming," he said.
However, Gomez said that he could not believe how unprepared
the coup leaders were given that they had so much time to
organize themselves and develop a political plan. He said he
was shocked that a young captain with no political experience
emerged as the nation's leader. "These guys are just like a
bunch of children...they have no idea what they are
doing...they just seize power with no particular strategy in
mind and then expect everything to take care of itself,"
Gomez said.


6. (C) Referring to the December 30 meeting between the
diplomatic community and the CNDD (to be reported septel),
Gomez said "I was absolutely shocked by yesterday's meeting;
it was a catastrophe." He later said that he was embarrassed
by President Moussa Dadis Camara's comments and attitude,
saying that it demonstrated how ill prepared Camara is to
lead the country. Gomez added that the CNDD is talking about
all the same problems that everyone else has been talking
about for years, i.e. corruption, constitutional reform,
judicial reform, etc., but that the CNDD has no concrete
program in mind to address those issues. "They are just like
everybody else we have seen...same issues, same promises, no
action" he said. Pointing out that the CNDD had begun
nominating ministers before the new prime minister had even
landed in country, Gomez said that it is unlikely that
civilian government officials will have any real authority.
"There is no change here," he said.


7. (C) When Poloff commented on civil society's lackluster
response to the installation of another military leader as
president of the country, Gomez said that the country may
actually be accepting something worse than they had before.
"At least we knew what we had under Conte," he said, "we do
not know anything about this guy." Gomez commented that
Guineans lack a sense of national dignity. "I watched the
same thing when Sekou Toure died. Everyone was out in the
street, crying and mourning, and then all of a sudden Conte
emerged as the new hero and everyone was celebrating...we

CONAKRY 00000815 002 OF 002


knew nothing about him either, but we accepted him for nearly
25 years," Gomez said.


8. (C) Gomez commented that the CNDD is trying to tackle too
many priorities at the same time. "They should only be
focusing on organizing elections; constitutional reform and
other issues should be left to a democratically elected
civilian government," Gomez said. He added that Toure
amended the constitution to suit his own purposes, as did
Conte. "If the CNDD amends the constitution, it would likely
only serve to strengthen the CNDD's power," he said.


9. (C) According to Gomez, no one single political party can
effectively govern the country because no one party has a
clear majority. "The presidential system does not work in
Guinea...what we need is a parliamentary system with a prime
minister and no president," he told Poloff. Gomez said that
the best solution would be to move forward with legislative
elections in order to have credible legislative body that
could then begin to address the constitutional issues. "If
they can start work without a president, they can think about
eliminating the position," he said. Gomez added "the only
reason Sekou Toure and Lansana Conte could maintain their
dictatorships was because the constitution allowed them to do
so."

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


10. (C) In previous discussions, Gomez has never been
pro-Conte, but rather, pro-reform. His disappointment with
the current political situation seemed to stem not from the
fact that the military stepped in to seize power, but from
the fact that civilian leadership has not pressured the
military to restore civilian control. He was concerned that
events may be moving in a dangerous direction. Gomez did not
see CNDD members as sincerely interested in advancing reforms
and turning power over to civilians. At the same time, he
was not convinced that the political parties and other civil
actors would be able to set aside their personal ambitions in
order to work together for the common good. He repeatedly
commented that civil society remains divided and that its
continued failure to coalesce may ultimately perpetuate the
problems of the past. END COMMENT.
RASPOLIC