OUSMANE DORE SHARES INSIGHTS WITH CHARGE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000026 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV EFIN PREL GV SUBJECT: OUSMANE DORE SHARES INSIGHTS WITH CHARGE REF: 08 CONAKRY 687 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Former Finance Minister Ousmane Dore recently shared insights on the end of the Conte regime and the new military-led government. Dore said that even though he fears for his physical safety, he has undertaken a review of the financial mismanagement of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Independence that led to his firing in October of last year. He also described how former President Conte allegedly gave his blessing to Guinea's new president Moussa Dadis Camara to launch a coup after Conte's death. Though Dore said he had a positive impression of the new civilian prime minister, he also voiced his concern over the large Malinke majority currently sitting on the CNDD. END SUMMARY. -------------- FEARS OF PHYSICAL HARM -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Ousmane Dore, the former minister of finance under consensus-government prime minister Lansana Kouyate, spoke with Charge on January 4. Dore told Charge that after being dismissed over allegedly mishandling funds dedicated to the Cinquantenaire, Guinea's 50th Anniversary Celebration of Independence, he has not been at ease with respect to his physical safety. In both November and December, he attempted fly out of Conakry, but was blocked by immigration officials at the airport in Conakry. Dore asserted that his physical safety was in jeopardy due to his association with the previous government, and because of an investigative report he authored on the Soaure government's financial mismanagement of the celebration. -------------- - FINANCING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE -------------- - ¶3. (SBU) To finance the Cinquantenaire, Dore told Charge that the Souare government envisioned asking various African leaders for contributions for the celebration, and arranged meetings in Libya, Gabon, South Africa, and other countries with collection plates in hand. When the ministers returned, however, only one or two deposited the money they had collected, leaving Dore with a $20 million financial gap. ¶4. (SBU) Dore said he contemplated borrowing the money from a private commercial bank to fill the gap. In the end, however, he did not want to take the loan because an IMF delegation was in Guinea at that moment, and he said it was not prudent to borrow for a celebration with a Fund mission in Conakry. ¶5. (SBU) Seeking alternative funding, Dore turned to controversial millionaire and close Conte ally Mamadou Sylla. Sylla reportedly told Dore that he could lend him $20 million on the condition that it be fully repaid by 30 November, a deadline Dore said he could not meet. Dore said he ended up borrowing $10 million from Sylla and the rest from a private commercial bank. -------------- MEETING PRESIDENT CONTE -------------- ¶6. (SBU) After his dismissal as Finance Minister in early October, Dore told Charge that he wrote a detailed report covering the financing and expenditures for the celebration. He said that he then sought to deliver it personally to President Conte; however, he was only able to get an appointment with the president after First Lady Henriette Conte intervened on his behalf. When Dore arrived at the presidential residence on 10 December to deliver the report, he was reportedly barred entry by Red Berets. Dore said he immediately called the First Lady, who told him the president was livid that he had been blocked, and immediately ordered his guards to open the gates. During the meeting, Dore said Conte was lucid and appreciated receiving the report. -------------- CONTE BLESSES THE COUP? -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Dore asserted that the aftermath of the recent coup reminded him very much of Lansana Conte's rise to power after the 1984 coup. According to Dore, Dadis Camara had an audience with President Conte just before his death, arranged by Ousmane Conte, the eldest son of the president and an alleged drug kingpin. Dadis reportedly told Conte what their plans were, and Conte gave Dadis his blessing to proceed. CONAKRY 00000026 002 OF 002 When Charge asked Dore if he believed this version of events, Dore told her that he had reason to believe that it was true. -------------- THE CNDD AND THE PM -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Turning to the current political situation, Dore said that he had already spoken with both President Dadis Camara and Prime Minister Kabine Komara. Dore said he believed Komara was a capable and intelligent individual. When Charge asked if he would accept a cabinet position in the new government, Dore said he would most likely refuse; however, he would consider joining the government in an advisory role. ¶9. (SBU) Dore commented that he could understand why the United States would want to cut aid to Guinea. He said that he had no problem with the decision, and said that it might get the new government's attention. Dore agreed with the Charge that the timetable that called for 2010 elections was unrealistic. Voicing his concern over the transition to civilian government, Dore described the scene at Camp Alpha Yaya as a "circus" where "almost everyone" is circulating resumes and trying to get a ministerial appointment. -------------- MALINKE DOMINATION -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Addressing the ethnic makeup of the CNDD and the current government, Dore said that he was well aware that Malinkes dominate the council. Dore said that it was a critical issue that the government will have to address by reaching out to the Puehl, though he did not comment on how they could best do this. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Almost all members of the international community--especially the World Bank and IMF ResReps--have a very positive opinion of Dore, and consider him to be one of the few people in Guinea who understands the intricacies of the HIPC debt relief program. Dore told Charge that he had been widely distributing copies of his audit of the 50th Anniversary Celebration, and had already delivered it to the World Bank and the prime minister. He came across as candid and rational, and appeared to be trying to clear his name of the taint of scandal that surrounded his dismissal (reftel). Though he stated he had no other agenda, he might simply be letting the international community know that he is still observing events closely, and that he seeks to remain a voice of reason in the political wilderness. END COMMENT. RASPOLIC