MGCD01: CHAD: FRENCH SUPPORT TO RESUME OPERATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 000247 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2018 TAGS: MARR ASEC CD FR SUBJECT: MGCD01: CHAD: FRENCH SUPPORT TO RESUME OPERATION OF U.S. CHANCERY REF: STATE 13651 Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (C) Embassy Pol Counselor delivered reftel demarche on February 8 and followed with verbal clarifications that day and over the weekend of February 9-10. MFA Chad desk officer Loic Mizon on February 12 provided a formal response to acting Africa-watcher concerning assistance requested of France to support the resumption of operations at the Embassy NDjamena Chancery. Mizon said that the USG request and similar issues involving other foreign missions had been discussed at a GOF interagency meeting on February 11. ¶2. (C) Mizon said that the positive development of the situation in Chad had rendered some of the points at issue moot or OBE. He noted the arrival in NDjamena on February 12 of a USG EOD team, which in the GOF view made French assistance to the U.S. in that area unnecessary. He did indicate that French EOD experts would be available to consult with the USG team as necessary. ¶3. (C) Mizon said that the GOF would provide medical evacuation assistance should the need for such assistance arise. On the issue of the availability of a French Quick Reaction Force in the event of an emergency, he advised that USG elements present in NDjamena consult with French military counterparts. Mizon repeated that the situation in NDjamena had improved significantly since we presented our demarche on February 8 and, while the situation remained delicate, there appeared to be less need for emergency contingency capabilities. He reiterated that the French on the ground in NDjamena were completely amenable to discussing with U.S. counterparts contingency planning as a precautionary measure (preferably on a mil-mil basis or pol-pol basis, depending on the issue) and to coordinate efforts as both countries sought to return to some semblance of normal operations. ¶4. (SBU) Mizon noted that Air France was planning a flight to NDjamena from Paris later on February 12 and that, if the situation continued to improve, was likely to return to its normal pattern of service, although of course there could be hiccups along the way. Mizon further informed us that the MFA closed its Chad-related Task Force on February 11. ¶5. (C) In separate conversations on February 11 and 12, Presidential AF-advisor Romain Serman said that the rebels seemed to be in some disarray, although they continued to present a risk. He said that the bulk of rebel forces continued to drift away from NDjamena in a northeasterly direction. He said that the French had obtained information indicating that the rebel groups were in disagreement about how next to proceed, with one wanting to return to the Sudan border area, and one wanting to renew combat with the government, an idea not favored by the other groups. Serman noted that the rebels, instead of seizing control of the government's main broadcast facility in NDjamena when they first entered the city, destroyed it instead, which was not a smart thing to do if one wanted to take control of a government. Deby was able to use an alternate broadcast site to rally his supporters and to demonstrate that he continued to be in control. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm STAPLETON