GABON: AFRICOM COMMANDER'S SUCCESSFUL VISIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIBREVILLE 000019

SIPDIS


LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS
HQ EUCOM PLEASE ALSO PASS HQ AFRICOM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2017
TAGS: MARR PREL MASS KPAO GB
SUBJECT: GABON: AFRICOM COMMANDER'S SUCCESSFUL VISIT

REF: A. 07 LIBREVILLE 0497

B. 07 LIBREVILLE 0532


Classified By: DCM Nathan Holt for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

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Summary
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1. (C) AFRICOM General William Ward's December 4-6 visit
to Libreville found officials from both the Government of
Gabon and the Economic Community of Central African States
pressing for information on when and where AFRICOM will
establish a headquarters or other facilities on the
continent. Gabonese President El Hadjj Omar Bongo Ondimba
also had some advice: adopt a regional strategy to avoid
jealousy by countries passed over as a headquarters
location. Gen. Ward stressed that no decisions have been
made on headquarters locations, that he is committed to
consulting widely, that AFRICOM is coordinating a broad
program of U.S. security assistance that is already in
place, and that AFRICOM provides focus and efficiency that
was impossible when the continent was divided among three
different U.S. military commands. The message appeared to
resonate well with a wide range of audiences, including the
Gabonese media and Libreville-based French military
officers and diplomats. End Summary.

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Questions and Advice from President Bongo
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2. (C) Meeting General Ward less than a week after
celebrating his 40th anniversary in power, Gabonese
president El Hadjj Omar Bongo Ondimba was
characteristically blunt in his first question: "Where
will AFRICOM put its headquarters?" Ward replied as he did
throughout the visit: no decisions have been made, but we
are still consulting with friends about options. One
option is a single headquarters on the African continent,
Ward explained. Another is to have some form of
decentralized headquarters presence in various regions.
Bongo urged a regional approach. If AFRICOM is based in
one country, the other 53 African states will not
understand and will be hostile, he said. To set up a
headquarters in an Anglophone state would put off the
Francophones, and vice versa, the president argued. If
AFRICOM pursues a regional strategy, Bongo said, he will
support the concept and promote it with other countries.


3. (C) Ward thanked the president for his counsel. "We
appreciate your support because you understand our true
purpose," Ward said. But other reactions have not been as
positive, he explained, and AFRICOM is continuing a
deliberate program of explaining its objectives and
consulting with African countries and regional
organizations. AFRICOM will not rush to any decisions,
Ward emphasized. It is important to take time to make
careful decisions, Bongo replied, but "once the decision is
made you must move fast after that." Africa is complex and
has many problems, Bongo added, and AFRICOM will need to
focus on bilateral as well as regional relations.


4. (C) Ambassador Reddick echoed Ward's message that
AFRICOM is a component of U.S. foreign policy. The State
Department, and the Embassy, would work closely with
General Ward, the Gabonese Government, and others to
coordinate our bilateral and cooperation, she explained.
Defense Minister Ali Bongo, present throughout the meeting
and serving as translator, stumbled on the General's final
military metaphor. Every day, Ward said, a soldier gets up
and "tries to improve his foxhole." The meaning was
eventually teased out--we will be persistent in building
AFRICOM, whatever the obstacles--and the 45-minute session
concluded with smiles and handshakes.

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Meeting the Defense Minister
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5. (C) Earlier on the morning of December 5, Ward met
separately with Defense Minister Ali Bongo for a more
free-flowing discussion. Gabon is not influenced by
AFRICOM's opponents, Bongo said. Libya is against AFRICOM,
he explained, because Qadhafi is lobbying for a single
African army under the United States of Africa--which he
would control. Some "European friends" also go behind our
backs and spread doubt about AFRICOM, Ali Bongo asserted.

Gabon recognizes that the African Union alone cannot
provide security, and that a balanced approach to external
assistance is required. "No more troops in Africa" was a
recurring theme in France before the last election, Ali
Bongo said, and the dynamics of French engagement may be
shifting. Darfur also absorbs enormous attention and
international resources, he added.


6. (C) AFRICOM's regional focus could be useful in
developing a more comprehensive approach to problems like
Darfur, Ali Bongo asserted. Gabonese peacekeepers in the
Central African Republic help stabilize one of Sudan's many
troubled neighbors, and CEEAC's recent military exercise in
Chad's Bahr-el-Ghazal region was an important step forward
in the regional body's ability to project forces into
remote and difficult terrain. AFRICOM support for CEEAC
could reinforce those positive trends. (The Defense
Minister added that Chadian president Idriss Deby had
pushed hard for the Bahr-el-Ghazal exercise as a show of
force to Chadian rebels. Other CEEAC leaders hesitated,
however, fearing the exercise would provoke a rebel
response.)

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CEEAC
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7. (C) CEEAC's Secretary General Sylvain Goma was out of
Libreville during Ward's visit, and he declined to allow a
newly-arrived deputy to formally receive the AFRICOM
commander at CEEAC headquarters. General Ward and his
party were nevertheless able to meet unofficially with the
Deputy Secretary General in charge of administration,
Claude Tike Tike, and with the outgoing CEEAC Deputy
Secretary General for Peace and Security, Ambassador Nelson

SIPDIS
Cosme.


8. (C) Cosme told us that CEEAC heads of state now
understand AFRICOM better. However, some issues still need
clarification. For instance, some states fear that AFRICOM
will lead to reductions in USAID of other USG assistance.
When asked how he thought AFRICOM could help CEEAC, Cosme
said the organization could use assistance in
telecommunication, training for the stand-by force,
maritime safety and logistics, and air safety. Ward said
all of these elements could be covered by current or
planned U.S. initiatives. Like President Bongo, Cosme
stressed that to effectively engage CEEAC we must first
engage the leadership of CEEAC member states. Cosme
nevertheless also urged that AFRICOM training and material
assistance be coordinated, and if possible disbursed,
through CEEAC.

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Talking to the French
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9. (C) General Ward and his party also had breakfast with
a group of Libreville-based French diplomats and military
officers, who peppered him with questions. The Deputy
Commander of French Forces in Gabon explained that
Libreville is a good base for French regional activities,
since CEEAC leadership, its planning cell, and the nucleus
of its future standby brigade are all based here. If
AFRICOM is to support CEEAC, he asked, will there be
coordination with France? Certainly, Ward replied, once a
decision was reached on when and how AFRICOM will engage.
AFRICOM will also work closely with African countries and
several regional organizations--not just CEEAC. Ward
pointed out that there is a French liaison officer helping
to plan and execute the program of the Navy's Africa
Partnership Station (APS). Ward also noted that he had
consulted only the previous week with French General
Georges Alain about AFRICOM matters.


10. (C) The French DCM interjected that French support for
CEEAC is through the European Commission, and that the EC
is currently CEEAC's primary donor. Multilateral efforts
are better than bilateral ones, she contended.

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Need for a Security Assistance Office
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11. (C) General Ward had a working lunch with Ambassador
Reddick and her country team in the Embassy's conference
room. Whatever decision is made about the location of
AFRICOM's headquarters or regional offices, the Ambassador

said, Embassy Libreville urgently needs a Security
Assistance Office (SAO) of at least two people to support
the expanding program of military engagement in Gabon and
Sao Tome, and to provide a platform for any further
expansion of AFRICOM activities. The Ambassador also led
Ward and his team on a short tour of our small chancery,
pointing out space the SAO could occupy. Ward replied that
AFRICOM recognizes the need to establish more SAOs on the
continent and will look closely at Libreville. AFRICOM
does not yet have a full complement of headquarters staff,
he pointed out, and is tackling several difficult staffing
issues simultaneously. The Ambassador thanked General Ward
for his visit, and that of the AFRICOM Survey Team (Ref. A)
in November, and said that the Embassy is committed to
doing all it can to make AFRICOM a success.

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Positive Media Coverage
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12. (C) Local media coverage of the generals' visit was
extensive and largely positive, drawing heavily on
Washington-cleared, Embassy-supplied materials. Accounts
of the visit appeared in Gabonese newspapers, radio,
television and internet sites, with many repeating the
theme that AFRICOM's objective is to work closely with
African nations and regional organizations, and bring
better coordination to security assistance programs that
are already underway. Reuters and Radio France
International (RFI) also covered the visit, although RFI
lost its tape and was unable to broadcast excerpts from a
one-on-one interview with General Ward as he emerged from
his meeting with President Bongo. The Bongo meeting was a
focus for most local press reports. There was, to our
knowledge, no negative or critical coverage.

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Comment
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13. (C) General Ward's visit was quite successful, and we
hope to welcome him back to Libreville soon. Gabon remains
a willing partner for AFRICOM initiatives. President
Bongo's advice to adopt a regional approach, deserves
serious consideration. So does his recommendation to
consult widely, then act quickly once we
decide when and where AFRICOM will deploy on the African
continent. End Comment.

REDDICK