CAMEROON UPDATE: AMBASSADOR MEETS PRESIDENTIAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YAOUNDE 000416

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2018
TAGS: CM ECON KCOR PGOV PHUM PREL ZI
SUBJECT: CAMEROON UPDATE: AMBASSADOR MEETS PRESIDENTIAL
ADVISOR PHILEMON YANG

REF: YAOUNDE 313

Classified By: Ambassador Janet E. Garvey for reasons 1.4 (d) and (e)


1. (C) Summary: On April 24, Ambassador met with Philemon
Yang, Minister Assistant Secretary General at the Presidency.
He defended President Biya's decision to change the
constitution, said Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) would be
established by June and strongly suggested that Biya would
not run in the 2011 election. He expressed high hopes for
the anti-corruption agency CONAC and said more
corruption-related arrests are coming. Mugabe's behavior in
Zimbabwe was an "embarrassment," he said. In our view, most
Cameroonians remain dejected about the political future,
although the French Ambassador is optimistic and believes
Biya is preparing his end game. End summary.

Relations with the U.S.
--------------


2. (C) Ambassador briefed Yang about her recent Washington
consultations and the high level of USG interest in recent
events in Cameroon. She noted our disappointment in
President Biya's decision to eliminate term limits and
growing concern in Washington about the future of democracy
in Cameroon. Yang stressed the importance of the U.S.
relationship to Cameroon and welcomed feedback when the USG
thought Cameroon was making mistakes.


3. (C) Biya changed the constitution to eliminate term
limits because there was "too much agitation" in the
government and the president needed to prepare for his exit,
Yang said. According to Yang, the amendment to the
constitution giving the president immunity while in office
only pertains to "other parts of the constitution," not to
criminal activity. The intention was not to offer blanket
immunity, which Cameroon wouldn't want "if we ever have a bad
president," he said. Yang thought the Senate would be
created by the end of the year.

Elections
--------------


4. (C) The government is moving ahead with the creation of
the Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) by June 30, Yang asserted,
adding that it had been allocated 800 million CFA (about $2
million) as a start-up budget. GRC officials had been
studying the Zimbabwe and Kenya situations to avoid their
electoral mistakes. He predicted that Cameroon's elections
would remain on track for 2011 and strongly implied that Biya
would not run again. Yang saw an important role for the
political opposition.

Corruption
--------------


5. (C) The government's long defunct anti-corruption agency
CONAC now has office space, funding, and computers and is
ready to start serious operations, according to Yang. He
hoped CONAC would work closely with ANIF (the GRC's lead
agency on financial crime issues). The President is
committed to making more corruption-related arrests, he said
(note: the former Finance and Health ministers and six other
officials were recently arrested on corruption charges, per
reftel. End note). Yang was pleased that the USG was
working with the GRC to help identify and return proceeds of
corruption which may be in the U.S.

Politics
--------------


6. (C) Ambassador asked about rumors of an imminent Cabinet
shuffle. Yang acknowledged constant rumors of this type and
said that the President has made adjustments to his Cabinet
over time, but Yang would not comment on whether changes are
in the offing in the near future. Ambassador expressed our
frustration at the difficulty in getting presidential
permission for Cameroonian police to attend USG training;
Yang responded that the President had ordered that no police
leave the country, except for retired personnel, because
there were too few police and the situation in Cameroon was
still "uncomfortable."

Zimbabwe
--------------


7. (C) Zimbabwe was an "embarrassment," Yang said. It was
hard to understand how the government had not yet released

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election results. He was pleased that southern African
countries had refused to allow the offloading of weapons from
a Chinese ship, saying this was "the best thing for democracy
in Africa."

Comment
--------------


8. (C) The Yang meeting suggested a new sense of confidence
in the Presidency. Yang - frequently mentioned as a
potential Prime Minister in a cabinet reshuffle - was
relaxed, talkative, and passionate about CONAC (which we have
yet to see play any role in fighting corruption). French
Ambassador Georges Serre this week briefed the Ambassador on
his recent meeting with the President, who he described as
well informed, fit and alert. Serre thought Biya gave lip
service to ELECAM, was primarily focused on the economy, and
was furious about the poor performance of the police and
gendarmes during the February civil unrest. Serre told
Ambassador he is optimistic about the future here (especially
comparing Cameroon to other francophone African countries)
and convinced that Biya is preparing the end game toward
stepping down.


9. (C) We continue to pick up widespread discontent among
Cameroonian contacts about the constitutional change and
rising commodity prices. There continues to be a strong
security presence in Yaounde, Douala and some major roads.
Most observers continue to believe there will not be a
violent reaction on the constitutional issue, and there is a
sense that many people just want to move on with their lives.
However, there is still deep cynicism about ELECAM (which
some believe will be controlled by the President),the
government's anti-corruption efforts, and the new amendment
giving the president immunity (the immunity very broadly
covers the scope of the President's responsibilities - Yang's
argument that this is somehow limited is difficult for us to
understand). Prominent human rights activist Hilaire Kamga
is preparing to roll out an "Orange Program" in May which
envisions mobilizing the Cameroonian masses to ensure a good
election in 2011 and a peaceful transition. He and others
have told us that, despite the challenges, U.S. support for
civil society and democracy in Cameroon is more important now
than ever.
GARVEY