NIGERIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MADUEKWE LAUDS AMNESTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 001870 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/W, AF/RSA, INR/AA, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2010 TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID PTER NI UNSC SUBJECT: NIGERIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MADUEKWE LAUDS AMNESTY AND SEEKS INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT REF: ABUJA 1850 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Political Counselor James P. McAnulty for reasons in Sections 1.4 (B) and (D) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Nigerian Foreign Minister Chief Ojo Maduekwe declared the recently concluded amnesty program to be an unqualified success and appealed for international support at an October 12 briefing for the diplomatic community in Abuja. He praised President Yar'Adua for taking more courageous and energetic steps to resolve Niger Delta problems than previous administrations. Maduekwe described the next phase on reintegration and rehabilitation as critical to maintaining the region's peace and security. The Foreign Minister took the opportunity to seek declarations of support by foreign governments for amnesty and for Nigeria's candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). END SUMMARY. -------------- MADUEKWE: AMNESTY IS UNQUALIFIED SUCCESS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Foreign Minister Maduekwe, accompanied by Defense Minister and retired major general Godwin Abbe, Information and Communications Minister Dora Akunyili, and Minister for Niger Delta Affairs Ufot Ekaette, lauded the recently concluded amnesty process under which some 8,000 militants agreed to lay down their weapons. Declaring this to be a "really happy day" for Nigeria, he said Nigerian Government (GON) leaders had worked "day and night" to achieve success. He noted keen international community interest, remarking that the Niger Delta had become Nigeria's "number one" foreign policy issue. Maduekwe said the region's rich oil and gas resources not only involved a "strategic interest" for many governments, but foreign counterparts consistently raised the Delta as the first issue of interest during meetings with him. -------------- USE OF FORCE NOT AN OPTION -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Maduekwe insisted that the administration of President Umaru Yar'Adua had never considered use of force as a genuine solution to the crisis. Only when militants had entered into criminal activities, he averred, did the GON use the Joint Task Force to intervene. He declared that, while the current administration had not created the Niger Delta problem, it has worked more energetically than past governments to develop a definitive solution. In less than two years, the Yar'Adua government has embarked on a serious effort to resolve problems that have endured 50 years. He described Niger Delta amnesty as part of broader trends in Nigeria toward promoting peaceful co-existence and on the continent toward settling long-standing disputes through dialogue and reconciliation. He expressed pride in a successful amnesty that did not require direct foreign intervention. The government, in following up recommendations by the Mitee Committee to offer amnesty and institute a cease-fire, had followed a "home-grown" solution Qinstitute a cease-fire, had followed a "home-grown" solution for a Nigerian problem. Quoting a militant from the October 9 ceremony at the Presidential Villa (reftel),he said amnesty would "usher in a true spirit of reconciliation exemplified by dialogue." -------------- FOREIGN MINISTER: "WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT" -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Remarking that amnesty did not represent the "end," Maduekwe said the process had now entered a "critical" phase focusing on rehabilitation and reintegration. He appealed for ABUJA 00001870 002 OF 003 international involvement, saying "we need your support." He declared that "this is not the time to sit and watch, but the moment to engage." The GON, he stated, had already established two camps in Agbaro and Aluu in Delta and Rivers States, respectively, with a capacity to hold 2,000 ex-militants. He disclosed that the GON was now paying ex-militants a monthly stipend of 65,000 naira, or about 400 dollars, insisting that these stipends did not constitute a "cash for arms" program but a "pragmatic incentive for sustenance." He declared that the GON would embark on a "bold strategy" to develop the Niger Delta and would "fast track" various projects, including construction of the East-West Highway, Atlantic coastal highway, and an east-west rail line, with the first segment running from Calabar to Benin. The government also planned to develop internal waterways, clean up pollution from oil spills, commence land reclamation, and develop new towns. -------------- STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT "DO HELP" -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The Foreign Minister sought declarations of support from other nations for the Niger Delta amnesty, insisting that such statements "do help" to boost confidence in the peace process and inform former militants of international interest. He praised the example set by UK Foreign Secretary Miliband, who praised amnesty after Maduekwe's meeting with him last week in London. After the speech, the Swedish Ambassador publicly confirmed his government would soon issue a statement in its capacity as the President of the European Council of the European Union (EU). Similarly, the Spanish Ambassador said his government would be supportive, including after Spain assumed the rotating EU Presidency in January. ¶6. (C) UK High Commissioner Robert Dewar told PolCouns on the margins of the briefing that his government had issued the statement on amnesty, which he characterized as achieving "better than expected" results, as a way to spur continued peace and GON development in the Delta. Canadian and Finnish colleagues took a more cautious view, remarking to PolCouns that Foreign Minister Maduekwe had changed his stance since May, when he initially briefed the diplomatic community on amnesty and asked that foreign governments maintain a distance while Nigerians sorted through their internal process. They both viewed the Foreign Minister's appeal as a Nigerian effort to put the onus on the international community to "do Nigeria's work." -------------- NIGERIAN CANDIDACY FOR UNSC SEAT -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The Foreign Minister also took the opportunity to solicit support for Nigeria's candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC),with the vote scheduled for October 15 in New York. He remarked that gaining a UNSC seat would represent an international "reward" or seal of approval for Nigerian peacekeeping efforts in the Qor seal of approval for Nigerian peacekeeping efforts in the Delta and the continent. Nigeria, he said, would welcome a return to the UNSC, where 17 years earlier, his country had urged de-colonialization in South Africa while chairing the Anti-Apartheid Committee. Should Nigeria win a seat, he pledged to work to address climate change, combat terrorism, and promote greater inter-religious harmony. After the Foreign Minister spoke, Mexican Ambassador Luis Alberto Barrero Stahl announced that his government would support Nigeria's candidacy. -------------- ICRC TO OPEN SUB-OFFICE IN PORT HARCOURT -------------- ¶8. (C) International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Field Delegate Mamadou Sow told PolCouns on the margins of the briefing that the ICRC planned to establish a ten-person sub-delegation at Port Harcourt to support the amnesty ABUJA 00001870 003 OF 003 process. He had already visited the Rivers State capital to look at potential lease locations for a residence and office for ICRC personnel, who would serve one-year unaccompanied rotations there. Sow said ICRC staff would attempt to provide training on basic emergency medical care to individuals from 1,000 Delta communities during the next five years. The ICRC also planned to lease two boats in each core Niger Delta State (Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers) for ICRC personnel to use to evacuate individuals suffering medical emergencies. He expressed confidence that ICRC, as a neutral entity, would gain the trust of GON officials and ex-militants alike to permit evacuation across informal boundaries for individuals who needed urgent medical treatment. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (SBU) A U.S. statement of support would be a prudent demonstration of U.S. interest in peaceful resolution of conflicts and promote momentum for critical post-amnesty activities. ¶10. (U) Embassy cleared this telegram with Consulate General Lagos. SANDERS