PORTUGAL: DISAPPOINTING BRIEFING ON GUINEA-BISSAU

UNCLAS LISBON 000141 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PO SUBJECT: PORTUGAL: DISAPPOINTING BRIEFING ON GUINEA-BISSAU REF: LISBON 0129 ¶1. (SBU) The Portuguese Foreign Ministry on March 9 briefed the Lisbon diplomatic corps on recent activities in Guinea-Bissau. Portuguese MFA number two, Secretary of State Joao Cravinho, last week led a delegation of the Lisbon-based Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) to Bissau, and this briefing was the readout from that visit. Unfortunately, the briefing was not very useful. ¶2. (SBU) Jorge Cabral, the MFA's Acting Deputy PolDir for Multilateral Affairs, provided the briefing and noted that Cravinho's March 3-5 CPLP mission to Bissau included the CPLP's Executive Secretary (from the Bissau-Guinean embassy in Portugal),and was joined on the ground by the Brazilian and Angolan ambassadors in Bissau. The delegation met with the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Defense Minister and service chiefs, as well as with the UN SRSG, and ECOWAS representatives. ¶3. (SBU) The delegation found the situation in Bissau "calm yet fragile". They passed the following messages to their interlocutors: - signaled solidarity with the citizens of Guinea-Bissau, - appealed to the country's leaders for calm, - offered CPLP support in turning the page on the cycle of violence, - noted the importance of a serious investigation into the two assassinations, - expressed willingness to mobilize international assistance, especially for elections, - stressed the importance of replacing General Na Wai and bringing the armed forces fully under political control, - expressed CPLP's willingness to work with other international partners on the range of issues, including pensions for retired military personnel. ¶4. (SBU) The Bissau-Guinean interlocutors responded, said Cabral, with expressions of willingness to investigate the killings and to follow the constitutional process forward, and with a request for rapid support from the international community. ECOWAS officials similarly agreed on the importance of the role of the international community, saying that an international contact group should meet quickly. Cabral did not offer any notional dates, locations, or participants for such a meeting, and he did not solicit input. ¶5. (SBU) Cabral did not know about the plans of President Vieira's widow (rumored to be seeking asylum in Portugal), but commented that she seemed comfortable in the Angolan embassy in Bissau. He offered no conclusions, preliminary or otherwise, about the events of March 1-2 and the two killings, and he did not know when the CPLP might meet again to discuss the way forward. ¶6. (SBU) COMMENT. Today's briefing was disappointing. The Portuguese MFA often presents itself as a leader within, and a bridge to, the lusophone world. It pays a great deal of attention to events in lusophone countries and expends a great deal of effort "leading" the CPLP. Yet all of the information from this briefing could be found in today's Lisbon newspapers. If the MFA has some ideas for Guinea-Bissau, but is not ready to reveal them, we have to ask why not, and why hold a briefing? If the MFA does not have any ideas, we have to wonder if it is in a position to offer leadership in this crisis. We came away with a sense that Portugal --and others interested in the future of Guinea-Bissau-- have the desire to contribute to a solution, but are not yet able to offer a way forward or ideas on how others might participate. For more reporting from Embassy Lisbon and information about Portugal, please see our Intelink site: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/portal:port ugal STEPHENSON