PRESIDENT SIRLEAF ON GUINEA AND NIGER

C O N F I D E N T I A L MONROVIA 000773

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/20/2019
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PHUM PINS PREL ECOWAS NG GV LI
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT SIRLEAF ON GUINEA AND NIGER

Classified by: Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield for Reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).


1. (SBU) Ambassador called on President Sirleaf on October 19 upon
the president's return from the October 17 ECOWAS summit in Abuja and
her October 18 visit to Niamey as part of a high level mission.

GUINEA
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2. (C) Sirleaf said that she has decided to take a stronger, more
active stand on Guinea following the horrific September 28 events.
Given that Liberia shares a long border with Guinea, she had tried to
stay on the margins in order not to provoke a backlash, but could no
longer do that after those unspeakable acts by the Guinean military.
She said she pushed for a firm ECOWAS stance at the summit, including
a UN investigation into the killings. The leaders agreed to push for
a timetable for elections, and that Compaore's leadership of the
discussions should continue. Nigerian President Yar'Adua has
proposed to invite all the Guinean opposition leaders to Abuja for a
dialogue to reach a unified position to be followed up by a combined
meeting with the military.


3. (C) Sirleaf noted that while the border area appears to be quiet,
there are credible reports of ex-combatants from Sierra Leone and
Liberia crossing the Guinea border to join paramilitary groups formed
along ethnic lines. Sirleaf said the Bureau of Immigration and
Naturalization (BIN) is strengthening its response along the border,
and the GOL will reissue its warning to Liberians not to cross the
border for anything other than normal business. (Note: Despite
public announcements by senior BIN officials that staffing at border
posts has been intensified, other Embassy reporting indicates that
the BIN has so far been unable to augment border posts with
sufficient personnel to either staff the official checkpoints
continuously or adequately monitor unofficial crossings. End note.)


4. (C) Sirleaf also raised concerns about the recent announcement by
a Chinese company of plans to invest $7 billion in the Guinean mining
sector. She suggested that the U.S. and other UNSC members let the
Chinese Ambassador in New York know this was inappropriate timing
given international concerns about the situation in Guinea. She
noted that Dadis Camara had referred to this announcement as evidence
of support for his regime.

NIGER
--------------


5. (C) Sirleaf said the high-level mission to Niamey did not produce
any positive results. They encouraged Tandja not to hold elections
and to continue negotiations with the opposition. He replied that
the rebel Tuaregs are surrendering their arms and that the people
want him. To no avail, they tried to appeal to his sense of
posterity, saying that he was one of the founders of ECOWAS
principles, so he should not be seen at the first to violate them.


6. (C) COMMENT: President Sirleaf appeared tired from the travel,
but more likely exhausted from the never-ending accusations of
corruption within her administration she has to deal with. (Most
recently, allegations have been raised against her Minster of
Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism). Perhaps her renewed
vigor on the international scene will help burnish her image. END
COMMENT.


7. (U) Conakry minimize considered.

THOMAS-GREENFIELD