Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09LONDON2769
2009-12-10 17:11:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy London
Cable title:
ECOWAS: CHAMBAS' DEC 7 VISIT TO LONDON
how-toVZCZCXRO2855 PP RUEHPA DE RUEHLO #2769/01 3441711 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 101711Z DEC 09 FM AMEMBASSY LONDON TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4289 INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0461 RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 1255 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0965
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LONDON 002769
NOFORN
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/RSA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2019
TAGS: PREL, MASS, PGOV, PINR, EAID, NI, NG, GV, GA, XY, UK
SUBJECT: ECOWAS: CHAMBAS' DEC 7 VISIT TO LONDON
Classified By: Political Counselor Robin Quinville, reasons 1.4 (b/d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LONDON 002769
NOFORN
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/RSA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2019
TAGS: PREL, MASS, PGOV, PINR, EAID, NI, NG, GV, GA, XY, UK
SUBJECT: ECOWAS: CHAMBAS' DEC 7 VISIT TO LONDON
Classified By: Political Counselor Robin Quinville, reasons 1.4 (b/d).
1. (C/NF) Summary. During December 7 consultations with
senior UK Foreign Office officials and Commonwealth
Secretariat leadership in London, ECOWAS Chair Mohamed Ibn
Chambas said the ECOWAS was working for a return to
consensual and constitutional government in Niger by taking
an active role in the EU Article 96 dialogue, has asked
Morocco to work to keep Guinea President Dadis Camara in
Morocco in support of a political resolution, and proposed a
joint ECOWAS-Commonwealth delegation led by former Nigerian
President Obasanjo visit The Gambia. Chambas said Burkina
Faso has "one or two good candidates" to offer as the next
ECOWAS Chair, which would have to be a francophone. He said
drug trafficking is an increasing concern in the region, that
regional economic integration remains an ECOWAS priority, and
that stimulus packages were needed in developing countries to
counteract the effects of the global economic crisis. He
said Brazilian President Lula has asked to attend the next
ECOWAS summit and noted that India and China are emerging
major players in the region. End summary.
2. (C/NF) ECOWAS Chair Mohamed Ibn Chambas held consultations
with FCO Africa Director Adam Wood and FCO Europe and
Globalization Director General Nick Baird and had a
one-on-one meeting with Commonwealth Secretary General
Khamalesh Sharma in London on December 7. He also gave an
on-the-record speech at Chatham House think tank. FCO West,
Central, and Southern Africa Head Janet Douglas and FCO
ECOWAS Desk Officer Jacqueline Richards gave Poloff a
read-out of the meetings.
Niger: Working with the EU
--------------
3. (C/NF) Chambas raised Niger with Wood in advance of the
December 8 EU Article 96 meetings in Brussels with the
Government of Niger to promote dialogue about Niger's
democracy, to which Chambas said ECOWAS was sending a senior
delegation in order to support a return to a consensual and
constitutional government. Chambas requested that, wihtin
the EU, the UK support the Niger opposition's move to have
talks in Abuja rather than Niamey, to which Wood agreed.
Richards said the Article 96 consultations were cut short in
Brussels because of a room scheduling conflict and that no
real decisions had been made. She said EU representatives
were generally shocked by how "prepared and savvy" the Niger
delegation was, especially in contrast to the Malagasy who
had had similar discussions recently. Richards also said
Chambas told Wood that ECOWAS had been "too slow to react" on
Niger and he personally should have been more aggressive.
Guinea: ECOWAS's Actions
--------------
4. (C/NF) Chambas told Wood Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo
Maduekwe had reached out to the Government of Morocco to see
what could be done to keep Guinea President Dadis Camara in
Morocco. Chambas described Camara "as part of the problem"
and fully supported keeping him out of Guinea, which Chambas
again repeated in an answer to a question at the Chatham
House event. Richards said the CNDD has been criticizing
Chambas' public remarks and announced it will not return to
negotiations until Camara is well enough to participate.
Chambas also said any political agreement to resolve the
situation should involve SSR to re-structure the military.
He has already been in touch with UN DPKO about contracting
retired francophone generals to help with this initiative.
He acknowledged the serious risk of instability spreading in
the region because of Guinea, especially with ethnic militia
training going on.
The Gambia: Joint Commonwealth-ECOWAS Mission
--------------
5. (C/NF) Chambas told Wood he had agreed with Commonwealth
Secretary General Khamalesh Sharma earlier in the day that
the Commonwealth Secretariat and ECOWAS would send a joint
mission to speak with President Jammeh. Chambas has made a
request to former Nigerian President Obasanjo to lead the
delegation, as he and Jammeh have "a good rapport" based on
their military backgrounds.
Nigeria: Mum's the Word
--------------
6. (C/NF) Richards said Chambas was extremely reluctant to
LONDON 00002769 002 OF 002
speak about Nigeria given the sensitivity of the situation
with President Yar'Adua currently out of the country and
unwell. He said the upcoming elections are crucial.
ECOWAS: A Francophone Next, Ghana Not A Big Player
-------------- --------------
7. (C/NF) Responding to Wood's question about the next ECOWAS
chair, Chambas said that it would have to be a francophone
and that Burkina Faso had "one or two good candidates," but
wouldn't be drawn into offering names. Wood asked if Ghana
could play more of a leadership role in the organization, to
which Chambas said the "modest character" of Ghana's
President meant that the country would not be taking a
leading role in the organization or in the region.
Drug Trafficking
--------------
8. (C/NF) Chambas raised drug trafficking with both Wood and
Baird, offering that, following endorsement and positive
feedback from the ECOWAS regional approach to counter drug
trafficking, EU support would be crucial. He said individual
countries still need to do a lot of work to get their
legislation in order and to bolster their policing capacity,
both of which ECOWAS could help with. He also said that he
was increasingly concerned that West Africa was moving from
simply being a transit point for drugs to actually being a
consumer of narcotics.
Regional Trade, Financial Crisis, and Development Partners
-------------- --------------
9. (C/NF) Chambas told Baird ECOWAS continues to work on
harmonization of regional economic policies, developing a
better socioeconomic infrastructure, and increasing trade in
the region. He highlighted the fact that the financial
crisis was global in scale and needed to be global in
response. The impact in the region had been felt because of
reduced remittances, a sharp drop in the price of
commodities, and decreased trade finance credit. He
supported a stimulus packages for developing countries. He
noted that while the EU remained a strong partner in the
region, China was becoming increasing important because of
their "flexible" and "quick" financing for projects. He also
said India had given USD 250 million for projects in the
region, all of which would be implemented by Indian
companies.
South-South Cooperation
--------------
10. (C/NF) Chambas told Wood that Brazilian President Lula
had requested to be invited to the next ECOWAS Summit, which
he thought would happen.
Visit London's Classified Website:
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Unit ed_Kingdom
Susman
NOFORN
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/RSA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2019
TAGS: PREL, MASS, PGOV, PINR, EAID, NI, NG, GV, GA, XY, UK
SUBJECT: ECOWAS: CHAMBAS' DEC 7 VISIT TO LONDON
Classified By: Political Counselor Robin Quinville, reasons 1.4 (b/d).
1. (C/NF) Summary. During December 7 consultations with
senior UK Foreign Office officials and Commonwealth
Secretariat leadership in London, ECOWAS Chair Mohamed Ibn
Chambas said the ECOWAS was working for a return to
consensual and constitutional government in Niger by taking
an active role in the EU Article 96 dialogue, has asked
Morocco to work to keep Guinea President Dadis Camara in
Morocco in support of a political resolution, and proposed a
joint ECOWAS-Commonwealth delegation led by former Nigerian
President Obasanjo visit The Gambia. Chambas said Burkina
Faso has "one or two good candidates" to offer as the next
ECOWAS Chair, which would have to be a francophone. He said
drug trafficking is an increasing concern in the region, that
regional economic integration remains an ECOWAS priority, and
that stimulus packages were needed in developing countries to
counteract the effects of the global economic crisis. He
said Brazilian President Lula has asked to attend the next
ECOWAS summit and noted that India and China are emerging
major players in the region. End summary.
2. (C/NF) ECOWAS Chair Mohamed Ibn Chambas held consultations
with FCO Africa Director Adam Wood and FCO Europe and
Globalization Director General Nick Baird and had a
one-on-one meeting with Commonwealth Secretary General
Khamalesh Sharma in London on December 7. He also gave an
on-the-record speech at Chatham House think tank. FCO West,
Central, and Southern Africa Head Janet Douglas and FCO
ECOWAS Desk Officer Jacqueline Richards gave Poloff a
read-out of the meetings.
Niger: Working with the EU
--------------
3. (C/NF) Chambas raised Niger with Wood in advance of the
December 8 EU Article 96 meetings in Brussels with the
Government of Niger to promote dialogue about Niger's
democracy, to which Chambas said ECOWAS was sending a senior
delegation in order to support a return to a consensual and
constitutional government. Chambas requested that, wihtin
the EU, the UK support the Niger opposition's move to have
talks in Abuja rather than Niamey, to which Wood agreed.
Richards said the Article 96 consultations were cut short in
Brussels because of a room scheduling conflict and that no
real decisions had been made. She said EU representatives
were generally shocked by how "prepared and savvy" the Niger
delegation was, especially in contrast to the Malagasy who
had had similar discussions recently. Richards also said
Chambas told Wood that ECOWAS had been "too slow to react" on
Niger and he personally should have been more aggressive.
Guinea: ECOWAS's Actions
--------------
4. (C/NF) Chambas told Wood Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo
Maduekwe had reached out to the Government of Morocco to see
what could be done to keep Guinea President Dadis Camara in
Morocco. Chambas described Camara "as part of the problem"
and fully supported keeping him out of Guinea, which Chambas
again repeated in an answer to a question at the Chatham
House event. Richards said the CNDD has been criticizing
Chambas' public remarks and announced it will not return to
negotiations until Camara is well enough to participate.
Chambas also said any political agreement to resolve the
situation should involve SSR to re-structure the military.
He has already been in touch with UN DPKO about contracting
retired francophone generals to help with this initiative.
He acknowledged the serious risk of instability spreading in
the region because of Guinea, especially with ethnic militia
training going on.
The Gambia: Joint Commonwealth-ECOWAS Mission
--------------
5. (C/NF) Chambas told Wood he had agreed with Commonwealth
Secretary General Khamalesh Sharma earlier in the day that
the Commonwealth Secretariat and ECOWAS would send a joint
mission to speak with President Jammeh. Chambas has made a
request to former Nigerian President Obasanjo to lead the
delegation, as he and Jammeh have "a good rapport" based on
their military backgrounds.
Nigeria: Mum's the Word
--------------
6. (C/NF) Richards said Chambas was extremely reluctant to
LONDON 00002769 002 OF 002
speak about Nigeria given the sensitivity of the situation
with President Yar'Adua currently out of the country and
unwell. He said the upcoming elections are crucial.
ECOWAS: A Francophone Next, Ghana Not A Big Player
-------------- --------------
7. (C/NF) Responding to Wood's question about the next ECOWAS
chair, Chambas said that it would have to be a francophone
and that Burkina Faso had "one or two good candidates," but
wouldn't be drawn into offering names. Wood asked if Ghana
could play more of a leadership role in the organization, to
which Chambas said the "modest character" of Ghana's
President meant that the country would not be taking a
leading role in the organization or in the region.
Drug Trafficking
--------------
8. (C/NF) Chambas raised drug trafficking with both Wood and
Baird, offering that, following endorsement and positive
feedback from the ECOWAS regional approach to counter drug
trafficking, EU support would be crucial. He said individual
countries still need to do a lot of work to get their
legislation in order and to bolster their policing capacity,
both of which ECOWAS could help with. He also said that he
was increasingly concerned that West Africa was moving from
simply being a transit point for drugs to actually being a
consumer of narcotics.
Regional Trade, Financial Crisis, and Development Partners
-------------- --------------
9. (C/NF) Chambas told Baird ECOWAS continues to work on
harmonization of regional economic policies, developing a
better socioeconomic infrastructure, and increasing trade in
the region. He highlighted the fact that the financial
crisis was global in scale and needed to be global in
response. The impact in the region had been felt because of
reduced remittances, a sharp drop in the price of
commodities, and decreased trade finance credit. He
supported a stimulus packages for developing countries. He
noted that while the EU remained a strong partner in the
region, China was becoming increasing important because of
their "flexible" and "quick" financing for projects. He also
said India had given USD 250 million for projects in the
region, all of which would be implemented by Indian
companies.
South-South Cooperation
--------------
10. (C/NF) Chambas told Wood that Brazilian President Lula
had requested to be invited to the next ECOWAS Summit, which
he thought would happen.
Visit London's Classified Website:
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Unit ed_Kingdom
Susman