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.

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CNDD DRAGGING THEIR FEET
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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.

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CONFUSION AT THE MFA
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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.
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COMMENT
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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