CAMEROON: CEMAC CONFERENCE - LOTS OF PROTOCOL,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YAOUNDE 000713

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/08/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL AORC ECON ECIN CM
SUBJECT: CAMEROON: CEMAC CONFERENCE - LOTS OF PROTOCOL,
LITTLE ACTION

Classified By: Pol/Econ Officer, Linnisa Wahid for reasons 1.4 b & d


1. (SBU) Summary: From June 19-24, Cameroon hosted the Ninth
Ordinary Session of the Economic and Monetary Community of
Central Africa (CEMAC) in Yaounde. The Conference focused on
the free movement of people within CEMAC, the creation of a
CEMAC passport and airline and a proposal to rotate the Bank
of Central Africa (BEAC) governorship. The session produced
little in the way of concrete results to make CEMAC a more
viable regional organization. The group, however, agreed to
transfer the multinational peacekeeping force in CAR (FOMUC)
to the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC).
CEMAC called for the UN Security Council to increase support
for MINAUD, EUFOR and MINURCAT peacekeeping forces to secure
the borders of Sudan, Chad and CAR. The local media
highlighted the early departure from the conference of
Equitorial Guinean President Nguema, for reasons that are
unclear. End Summary.

Free Movement of People
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2. (C) Cameroon hosted CEMAC's Ninth Ordinary Session of
Heads of State with the Presidents of Equatorial Guinea (EG),
Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville (Congo B),the Central African
Republic (CAR),Cameroon and the Prime Minister of Chad in
attendance. The President of Sao Tome and Principe, the
Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the
Secretary General of CEEAC came as observers. Arlette Kono,
CEMAC specialist in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX),
told Poloff that one of the most pressing issues discussed
was the implementation of the CEMAC passport and the free
movement of people within the region. To date, Chad,
Cameroon, Congo-B and CAR allow CEMAC nationals to travel
visa free within their borders, while EG and Gabon still
require visas. Kono said that EG and Gabon have expressed
concerns about the authenticity of birth certificates from
other CEMAC countries. According to Kono, until other CEMAC
countries are able to secure their birth certificates, EG and
Gabon would not offer visa-free travel. CEMAC nationals who
are members of government, parliamentarians, enrolled
students, investors, teachers or researchers are exempted
from the visa requirement to enter EG or Gabon.

3.(C) Kono told Poloff that the CEMAC passport which was
supposed to be implemented by July 2007 was delayed until
January 2010, due to concerns about individual member
countries' treaties with non-CEMAC members, passport language
and the authenticity of birth certificates used to obtain
passports. Kono said that EG and Gabon were particularly
concerned about Cameroon's immigration treaty with Nigeria,
which allows Nigerians to travel visa-free to Cameroon as
well as the ease in which one could obtain fraudulent
Cameroonian documentation to enter other CEMAC countries
without a visa.

BEAC Remains with Gabon
--------------


4. (C) According to Kono, the President of EG, Obiang Nguema,
proposed rotating the BEAC governorship among the six CEMAC
countries. Kono said that EG justified its claim by stating
that because it contributed more than 40% of BEAC's financial
capital it should have a more prominent position in running
the institution. CEMAC denied the proposal noting that
according to the CEMAC treaty Gabon, one of the founding
members of CEMAC, permanently holds the post of BEAC
governor.

CEMAC Declarations
--------------


5. (U) The CEMAC Conference declared that members were
pleased with the recent legislative and municipal election in
Cameroon, Congo-B, Gabon and EG. The Conference adopted a
resolution to condemn the repeated attacks by rebels in Chad
and called on the Security Council to solve the Darfur crisis
by enlarging the EUFOR, MINURCAT and MINAUD missions. The
Conference finalized the transfer of the Multinational Force
of CAR (FOMUC) to the Economic Community of Central African
States (CEEAC). The Conference declared that the next
President of CEMAC would be Francois Bozize, the President of
CAR, and determined that March 16 would be "CEMAC Day". There
is a recognition among members of the possible benefits of a
regional Air Cemac, which could dramatically improve travel
within the region, but the idea has no new wind behind it.

Comment
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6. (C) Personal ambition continues to hamper CEMAC's
productivity. President Biya's relationship with EG President
Obiang Nguema is lukewarm at best, aggravated by a steady
flow of expulsions of Cameroonians. Nguema departed the
conference early, which generated significant media
speculation that he was upset (his departure was just after
the BEAC discussion). The official GRC explanation was that
Nguema left due to a family emergency; a senior contact in
the presidency told us the EG President departed for a prior
engagement in Geneva. The GRC, not surprisingly, depicts the
conference as a success. While we attended only the opening
session and can only judge the conference from the outside,
it appears to have brought no real progress in dealing with
the major issues confronting CEMAC or the region.
GARVEY