GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION AGREEMENT: JOINT

C O N F I D E N T I A L FREETOWN 000128 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W (JHUNTER/ESPRUILL) E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC SL SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION AGREEMENT: JOINT COMMUNIQUE WITH PRESIDENT KOROMA Classified By: Ambassador June Carter Perry for reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (SBU) Following two weeks of talks with the international community core Ambassadors (U.S., U.K., EU, China) under the aegis of the UN, the ruling All People's Congress Party (APC) and the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) signed a joint communiquQ on April 2, 2009. The ceremony represented a coalition effort to reinstate stability following violence and vitriolic press statements from March 13 onward to urge peace for the future development of Sierra Leone. ¶2. (SBU) The event took place at State House with President Koroma, the Cabinet, the diplomatic corps and political party representatives. The heart of the communique (Note: Full text was sent to AF/W. End note) was agreement on commissions of inquiry into perpetrators of violence and a strong statement condemning violence, especially against women. Feuding party leaders offered conciliatory remarks as did the UN/ERSG in advance of Koroma's speech. The Head of State thanked the international community for its important role as mediator and urged looking ahead to a peaceful Sierra Leone. ¶3. (C) Comment: Although all was smooth on the surface, speakers acknowledged that controlling violence, especially by youth and possibly by police, would continue to be a challenge. President Koroma emphasized the importance of sustained stability to ensure development and investment in the country. He made a special effort to speak with me at a reception following the formal ceremony to thank us for our role in securing the agreement. The UN/ERSG also offered thanks for the additional private sessions we had held before the tripartite meetings for the duration of the process. We were also approached by the Vice President who said he wanted to have a follow-up discussion to identify further the way forward. His appeal was repeated by the new Minister for Presidential Affairs, Joseph Koroma, formerly Sierra Leone's UNIDO representative in Geneva. We expect to have a donors-only meeting early next week to identify amongst ourselves specific measures we can take to help shore up Sierra Leone's democratic institutions and further engage civil society groups in the process. End Comment. PERRY