DADIS CANCELS VISIT TO LIBYA

C O N F I D E N T I A L CONAKRY 000226 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/23/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC LY GV SUBJECT: DADIS CANCELS VISIT TO LIBYA Classified By: POL/ECON CHIEF SHANNON CAZEAU FOR REASON 1.4 B AND D ¶1. (U) On April 22, Dadis was planning to leave Guinea for the first time since he seized power on December 23. Significant numbers of military personnel provided security at Conakry International Airport where Dadis was expected to board a private Libyan aircraft reportedly provided for him to conduct a state visit to Libyan leader Kaddafi. However, when Dadis finally showed up at the airport, he called off the trip. ¶2. (SBU) According to multiple sources, Dadis was planning to take an entourage of some 75 members, but that the plane only had a 25-passenger capacity. The debacle was later blamed on the Protocol Office for not having controlled the number of people in the delegation. Other contacts say that Dadis wanted to first stop off and visit President Wade in Senegal, but that the pilot refused the detour. Still others say that Dadis canceled the trip because he got wind of a possible counter-coup attempt. ¶3. (C) According to a well-placed contact at the Bureau of Customs, former Prime Minister turned political party leader, Lansana Kouyate, helped organize this trip for Dadis. Since his time in office, Kouyate has been perceived by many to be working to strengthen Guinea's bilateral relationship with Libya. The Libyan gift of two generators shortly after the coup is rumored to have been orchestrated by Kouyate. The Customs Contact claimed that Dadis is seeking financial assistance from Libya. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶4. (C) Both the organization and the cancellation of the trip were handled in a very public fashion. It is unclear whether or not Dadis ever planned to actually follow through on the visit. Since the coup, he has not been secure in his position and sources indicate that he is constantly on guard for a counter-coup attempt. Given his paranoia, it is surprising that he would be considering leaving the country. Military activity the evening of April 22 (septel) suggests that there is more to the story. END COMMENT. RASPOLIC