NEW PNR POLITICAL PARTY HIGHLIGHTS CNDD'S SUCCESSES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000474 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL ASEC GV SUBJECT: NEW PNR POLITICAL PARTY HIGHLIGHTS CNDD'S SUCCESSES REF: CONAKRY 0424 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Following up on rumors of a new pro-CNDD political party (reftel),A/DCM met with representatives of the recently created PNR. Although the party seemed to be careful about identifying itself too closely with the CNDD, representatives' generally positive view of the CNDD's accomplishments to date suggest hidden linkages. Like most of Guinea's other 85 plus political parties, the PNR had difficulty defining its political platform and likely overestimates its constituency. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Four members of one of Guinea's newest political parties, the Party for National Renewal (PNR),met with A/DCM on August 10. Just a few weeks ago, the party was the subject of much speculation because of its apparent links to the CNDD (reftel). At the time, it was rumored that the PNR would be headed by the Minister of State for Urban Planning, Boubacar Barry, who is a member of the CNDD and close personal friend of CNDD President Moussa Dadis Camara. -------------- A PARTY OF THE PEOPLE -------------- ¶3. (SBU) According to Maitre Mody Oumar Barry (lawyer),the Secretary General of the PNR, the entire executive bureau was elected by party supporters. Referring to the fact that most of Guinea's political parties are associated with a specific political personality, Barry emphasized that the PNR is a movement of the people rather than any one individual. When asked if the party had a candidate in mind for the presidential election, Barry explained that the only way the PNR will select a candidate is through an election by the General Assembly of the Party. ¶4. (SBU) Barry claimed to enjoy widespread youth support. At one point, one of his colleagues said that "70% of Conakry's youth support the PNR." Barry described the creation of the party as the brainchild of young intellectuals who recognized that none of Guinea's 85 plus political parties represented their interests, so they decided to create a new party to better respond to "popular expectations." (COMMENT. None of the four party representatives appeared to be under the age of 35, possibly ¶40. END COMMENT). Party representatives found it difficult to estimate the extent of the party's support, although they noted that General Assembly meetings routinely attract 300 plus participants. -------------- A "CREDIBLE ALTERNATIVE" -------------- ¶5. (SBU) When asked about the party's political agenda, Barry said the PNR wants to present itself as a "credible alternative" to the transition. However, it was difficult for him to articulate just what that alternative would be except that it would be fundamentally different from the Toure and Conte regimes. Barry described the party's platform as socio-democratic, noting that they support a balance between a collective redistribution of wealth and the need for private enterprise. ¶6. (SBU) At several points in the discussion, party members emphasized that the PNR stands for national renewal, which seemed to be defined as essentially starting over. One member focused on the need for national reconciliation because of the significant and extensive human rights abuses committed under Sekou Toure and Lansana Conte. "We are talking about the system that will be put in place after the military steps down...renewal does not apply to the current system...it refers to the future governance of Guinea," the SG Barry said. Again, he could not define what that future governance would look like. -------------- ELECTION DATE NOT IMPORTANT -------------- ¶7. (SBU) On the question of elections, party representatives were largely unconcerned about the date. Barry emphasized that it is more important to have good elections than to have elections just to have elections. "I can't really say whether we are talking about 2009 or 2010; I have to see the whole picture," he said. However, he did note that it is important to have elections in order to "normalize the political situation." CONAKRY 00000474 002 OF 002 -------------- POSITIVE MARKS FOR THE CNDD -------------- ¶8. (SBU) When it came to questions about governance under the CNDD, Barry said that the CNDD's performance on a whole has been generally positive. "There have been a few mistakes, but no government is perfect." Topping the CNDD's list of achievements, Barry mentioned avoidance of civil war (due to problems with the constitutional process) and efforts to combat narcotics and corruption. "If we are objective, we have to admit that it is difficult to do anything with respect to development when you don't have any money," Barry commented. ¶9. (SBU) On the security front, Barry said the situation is still difficult, but there have been marked improvements. He then made a case for the international community to begin implementing security sector reforms before the elections take place. "I am not saying that we need to finish the military reform program, but we should certainly get it started if we want to avoid another coup d'etat," Barry said. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Like most other Guinean political parties, the PNR claims to have been created to fill a void, but has difficulty articulating a concrete political agenda. To be fair, Barry did say the party is in the process of drafting its program, but it would be reasonable to expect at least a rough description of what the PNR hopes to accomplish. It is likely that the PNR is also overestimating its current constituency. Many of the Embassy's youth contacts are quick to criticize the CNDD, which is inconsistent with the PNR's apparent position. ¶11. (SBU) Earlier rumors of PNR links to the CNDD largely seem to have been based on the presumption that the party would be led by a CNDD member. However, the party has either abandoned that plan or never intended to bring in a CNDD member. At the same time, it is clear that the PNR may not be directly supporting the CNDD, but it certainly is not criticizing it. Barry's views on the "positive" accomplishments of the CNDD sound suspiciously similar to those of pro-government parties under the Conte regime. END COMMENT. BROKENSHIRE