EU OFFICIALLY SUSPENDS DEVELOPMENT AID

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000456 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2019 TAGS: PREL ASEC ECON PGOV EAID GV SUBJECT: EU OFFICIALLY SUSPENDS DEVELOPMENT AID REF: CONAKRY 00432 Classified By: ECONOFF BRIANA WARNER FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) Summary: After three months of consultations with the GOG, the European Union announced that they will officially suspend many of their aid programs, linking resumption of cooperation with progress toward elections. The news apparently shocked many within the GOG bureaucracy even though it was a long time coming, illustrating once again the crippling lack of communication between the junta and the rest of the government. Though the EU denounced the coup and effectively halted any new development programs in January, this is the first time that they have officially linked funding to their stated policy. The decision of the international community signals growing solidarity with respect to the CNDD. END SUMMARY. -------------- CNDD DRAGGING THEIR FEET -------------- ¶2. (U) Under the 2000 Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP-EC Partnership Agreement),partner states must respect certain items in their internal policy agenda: human rights, the rule of law, and the promotion of democratic principles, in order to receive EU development aid. In January 2009, an EU commission, with support from ECOWAS and the AU, agreed that the coup d,etat violated these principles, mandating them to enter into consultations to determine appropriate action. These consultations began on April 29 in Brussels, concluding in the form of an official letter and notification to CNDD President Mussa Dadis Camara on July 27. ¶3. (U) The letter stated that the coup was a serious violation of democracy and the rule of law, and that the EU is concerned over the slow pace to implement the election chronogram. As such, the resumption of cooperation will depend on progress toward holding elections. ¶4. (U) According to the letter, the EU will continue their humanitarian and election aid, as well as most of their current programs whose funding is channeled directly through the civilian population. The pipelines for other forms of aid, however, will be contingent on clearly defined indicators such as the formation and implementation of the National Transition Council (CNT),publication of electoral cards, and an intimidation-free campaign period. With free and fair presidential and legislative elections, the EU will release funding for all aid and commence processing EU development programs. ¶5. (C) In a candid discussion with Econoff, Marc Boucey, an EU specialist on ACP-EP Partnership Agreement issues, explained the process behind the EU decision to temporarily suspend new projects to Guinea. In his opinion, the CNDD has neither taken the appropriate steps toward elections, nor do they intend to. The EU decision, he said, reflects this sentiment and is intended as a blow to the current government's power. He also noted that the policy was effectively put in place in January when the EU decided to initiate consultations. The latest announcement only makes the suspension more official. -------------- CONFUSION AT THE MFA -------------- ¶6. (C) According to Mr. Boucey, Guineans were shocked by the findings of the report. Mr. Boucey noted that despite their apparent surprise, the CNDD was well informed of the EU,s position during every step of the process, and representatives explained the situation to Dadis and his inner circle ad infinitum. However, he said that the EU had neglected to release any clear information about the process to the Guinean people. He regrets that the letter to the president appears to the general population as a new development instead of a formal declaration. Mr. Boucey said that the EU planned to send the letter much sooner, but bureaucracy held the process hostage. ¶7. (C) According to Elhadj Naby Soumah, a close contact and protocol officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the news was a complete surprise to their office. Apparently, neither the CNDD nor the EU informed the MFA of the consultations or the projected policy. There was also obvious confusion over the content of the letter to Dadis, as the MFA believed that CONAKRY 00000456 002 OF 002 the EU was suspending all aid until the completion of free and fair elections. Mr. Soumah said that MFA employees only heard about the EU decision through the Guinean media, and are continually frustrated by the lack of communication between the Office of the President and the MFA. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) The EU announcement cutting off new aid to Guinea is very much in line with the current strategy of the International Contact Group and demonstrates solidarity. The announcement is not unexpected, at least within the international community, but it drives home the fact that key international donors will continue to withhold political and monetary support to Guinea until elections take place. The CNDD continues to face scarce resources. While the CNDD may not understand the full implications, career GOG civil servants almost certainly do. ¶9. (C) The announcement underlines once again the communication problems and the growing factionalism between the military junta and the rest of the government. This is not the first time that the MFA and other ministries have been left out of the loop by Dadis (reftel),and they seem to be growing increasingly frustrated. With all decisions and consultations becoming increasingly centralized, professionals are being sidelined, which may contribute to the country's growing dissatisfaction with the current leadership. BROKENSHIRE