GOC ASKS FOR U.S. ASSISTANCE IN DEVELOPMENT FOR EASTERN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000083 SIPDIS SIPDIS PARIS AND LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS, STATE FOR AF - DAS SWAN AND AF/C, NAIROBI FOR OFDA, ACCRA FOR USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF EAID CD EU SUBJECT: GOC ASKS FOR U.S. ASSISTANCE IN DEVELOPMENT FOR EASTERN CHAD IN WAKE OF EUFOR AND MINURCAT DEPLOYMENTS NDJAMENA 00000083 001.2 OF 002 PRESIDENTIAL COUNSELOR SALEH -------------- ¶1. (U) AMBASSADOR CALLED MARCH 4 ON YOUSSOUF SALEH ABBAS, PRESIDENTIAL COUNSELOR FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AND RECENTLY APPOINTED SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR MINURCAT AND EUFOR IN CHAD, AND AS SUCH, CHIEF OF A NEW GOC AGENCY, THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR INTERNATIONAL FORCES IN CHAD (CONAFIT),AT THE NEW OFFICE HE WILL OCCUPY IN HIS NEW ROLE. DEVELOPMENT IN WAKE OF EUFOR AND MINURCAT -------------- ¶2. (U) SALEH SAID THAT CONAFIT WOULD NOT ONLY SERVE AS THE GOC'S LIAISON WITH EUFOR AND MINURCAT BUT ALSO AS THE FOCAL POINT FOR THE GOC'S PLAN FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGIONS OF CHAD AFFECTED BY REFUGEES, NOT ONLY DARFURI REFUGEES IN EASTERN CHAD BUT ALSO CENTRAL AFRICAN REFUGGES IN SOUTHWESTERN CHAD. ITS GOAL IN THOSE REGIONS WOULD BE TO AMELIORATE THE CONDITIONS THAT HAVE LEAD TO MASSIVE DISPLACEMENT OF CHADIANS AND GREAT PRESSURE ON CHADIAN LOCAL POPULATIONS WHO HAVE REMAINED IN THEIR HOMELANDS. CONAFIT ROLE -------------- ¶3. (U) SALEH SAID THAT CONAFIT WOULD BE IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH THE EU, WHICH HAD PLEDGED 10 MILLION EUROS FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROJECTS IN THE EURFOR CONTEXT AND THAT THE FRENCH HAD ALSO PLEDGED 10 MILLION EUROS FOR PROJECTS WITH SIMILAR OBJECTIVES. SALEH REQUESTED THAT THE UNITED STATES JOIN IN THE EFFORT TO DEVELOP THE AREAS OF CHAD HARDEST HIT BY THE REFUGEE INFLUX, MENTIONING THAT CHAD WOULD BE HAPPY TO SEE THE RETURN OF USAID TO CHAD, IF THAT COULD BE PART OF A U.S. RESPONSE TO THE SITUATION IN EASTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN CHAD. POST-CRISIS DEVELOPMENT GOOD, BUT -- -------------- ¶4. (U) AMBASSADOR RESPONDED THAT HE WOULD TRANSMIT THIS REQUEST TO WASHINGTON AND THAT THE UNITED STATES CERTAINLY SUOPPORTED IN PRINCIPLE THE IDEA THAT PLANS FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SHOULD ACCOMPANY THE EUFOR AND MINURCAT SECURITY OPERATIONS AND THAT CHADIAN IDPS AND LOCAL AFFECTED POPULATIIONS CERTAINLY DESERVED ASSISTANCE IN LIGHT OF THE THEIR SUFFERING AND THE BURDENS PLACED ON THEM ABND THEIR REGIONS. THERE IS NEED FOR POLITICAL OPENING, TOO -------------- ¶5. (U) AMBASSADOR TOLD SALEH THAT THE EFFORT FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN EFFORT AIMED AT POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT, NOT ONLY OF THE AFFECTED AREAS BUT OF ALL OF CHADIAN SOCIETY. THE ONLY DIRECTION THAT SUCH POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT COULD USEFULLY TAKE WAS TOWARD "OPENING UP OF POLITICAL SPACE" TO ALL CHADIANS -- ALL REGIONS, ALL POLITICAL PERSUASIONS, ALL ETHNIC GROUPS -- ALONG LINES EMBODIED IN THE AUGUST 13 ACCORDS OF 2007. SUCH A "POLITICAL OPENING" WOULD MAKE THE CHADIAN STATE BOTH MORE LEGITIMATE BUT ALSO STRONGER. THE GOVERNMENT OF CHAD SHOULD PURSUE DIALOGUE IMMEDIATELY AND AT ALL LEVELS, STARTING WITH A SERIOUS APPROACH TO THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ESTABLISHED TO CLARIFY WHAT HAD HAPPENED DURING THE RECENT CRISIS, INCLUDED DISAPPEARANCES OF OPPOSITION FIGURES. ¶6. (U) SALEH SAID THAT THE GOC INTENDED TO PURSUE POLITICAL DIALOGUE, TO PARTICIPATE SERIOUSLY IN THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY, AND TO FULFILL ITS COMMITMENTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AUGUST 13 ACCORDS, BUT THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO DEAL ON "A HUMAN LEVEL" WITH POLITICAL OPPONENTS WHO HAD RECENTLY WELCOMED ARMED REBEL ATTACKS ON THE GOVERNMENT AND EVEN COLLUDED WITH THE REBELS. HE SAID THAT THE GOC RECGNIZED ITS POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITIES BUT THAT IT WOULD TAKE TIME TO OVERCOME THE IMPRESSIONS LEFT BY THE RESPONSE OF SOME OPPOSITION LEADERS TO THE RECENT CRISIS. SALEH ALSO COMPLAINED THAT OPPOSITION LEADERS WERE NOT DOING ALL THEY COULD TO ENSURE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AUGUST 13 ACCORDS. ¶7. (U) AMBASSADOR RESPONDED THAT THE GOC NEEDED TO SHOW CONCRETE RESULTS ON THE COMMISSION AND ON THE AUGUST 13 ACCORD PROCESS. BLAMING THE OPPOSITION FOR FAILURE OF EITHER WAS UNLIKELY TO IMPRESS CHAD'S INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS. ALSO, THE GOC HAD SPECIAL NDJAMENA 00000083 002.2 OF 002 RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE CONCRETE RESULTS IN BOTH THE COMMISSION PROCESS AND THE AUGUST 13 ACCORD PROCESS, BECAUSE IT HELD POWER AND WAS THEREFORE RESPONSIBLE TO THE PEOPLE OF CHAD IN A WAY THAT THE OPPOSITION WAS NOT. ¶8. (U) COMMENT I: SALEH OPENED THE MEETING BY NOTING THAT THE UNITED STATES WAS NOT AS INTERESTED IN EUFOR AS IT WAS IN MINURCAT AND HAD THEREFORE BEEN LESS SUPPORTIVE OF THE EU INITIATIVE THAN OF MINURCAT. AMBASSADOR CORRECTED SALEH'S CHARACTERIZATION OF U.S. SUPPORT FOR BOTH EUFOR AND MINURCAT, NOTING THAT ALTHOUGH WE WERE NOT OF COURSE AN EU MEMBER, WE HAD STRONGY CHAMPIONED EUFOR AT THE UN, WITH THE EU, AND BILATERALLY; AND THAT WE ALSO WERE COORDINATING WITH THE EU ON CHAD. AS A UN MEMBER AND UNSC MEMBER, WE WERE FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF MINURCAT AS WELL AND WERE SEEKING WAYS TO ASSIST IT IN CONCRETE WAYS IN ITS MISSION. AMBASSADOR ALSO NOTED THAT MINURCAT WAS NOT YET DEPLOYED AND GOC SHOULD COOPERATE FULLY WITH MINURCAT TO ENSURE THAT IT DEPLOYS RAPIDLY AND FULLY. ¶9. (U) COMMENT II: WE WILL ALSO LOOK FOR WAYS TO HIGHLIGHT FOR THE GOC THE CONTINUING USAID/OFDA SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITIES IN EASTERN CHAD AFFECTED BY THE REFUGEE INFLUX AS WELL AS USG ASSISTANCE TO CHADIAN DISPLACED PERSONS. Nigro