UGANDA MAY TAKE LEAD ON COUP PRST

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000366

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/06/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL UNSC XA UV LY UG
SUBJECT: UGANDA MAY TAKE LEAD ON COUP PRST

REF: STATE 30234

Classified By: Ambassador S. Rice, for reasons 1.4 b/d


1. (C) Summary. USUN delivered reftel demarche to the
missions of Libya, Uganda, Burkina Faso, and the African
Union (AU). Uganda expressed interest in taking the lead in
drafting a Council statement on recent coups in Africa, and
is currently reaching out to the Libyans and the Burkinabe to
gauge their interest. Libya expressed concern about singling
out Mauritania and called for practical responses to coups.
Burkina Faso was still awaiting formal instructions from
Ouagadougou. The AU believed a formal Presidential Statement
(PRST) would "definitely be helpful." End Summary.

LIBYA SKEPTICAL ABOUT SINGLING OUT MAURITANIA


2. (C) DepPolCouns and Poloff met with Libyan Minister
Counselor Mohamed-fakhri Elkrekshi and Political Coordinator
Ahmed Gebreel on April 2 to deliver reftel demarche,
suggesting that a UN Presidential Statement (PRST) would be
an effective tool for supporting AU efforts regarding recent
coups in Africa. Gabreel said Libya did not accept coups,
but dealt with each crisis on a case-by-case basis. He
called for practical responses to coups that encouraged a
process that led to elections. He said Mauritania, which he
noted will hold elections in June and has invited
international monitors to observe them, might warrant
different treatment vis-a-vis Guinea and Madagascar.
DepPolCouns replied that an election process leaving coup
leaders in office until election day was unlikely to prove
free, fair, and transparent.


3. (C) Gabreel thought a PRST that offered a general
statement against coups might make for an effective and
preventative Council message. Elkreskshi suggested using the
upcoming Council meetings on Guinea-Bissau (on April 8) or
Madagascar (on April 7) as potential opportunities to
consider a product of some sort. Gabreel said they would
discuss the possibility of a PRST with Tripoli and their
ambassador, and then, to get a common African position, with
the Burkinabe and Ugandans.

UGANDA APPEARS SUPPORTIVE OF PRST


4. (C) USUN also met with Ugandan Political Arthur Kafeero on
April 2. The Ugandan Counselor said that Uganda supported
some action from the Security Council, and had made the point
with the African Union. He said that Uganda had strongly
supported the AU decision to sanction Mauritania, and thought
the AU decision could be used as the basis for a PRST.
Following up on April 6, Kafeero said Uganda is in the
process of reaching out to the Libyans and Burkinabe, and
that, at this preliminary stage, he was encouraged for the
PRST's prospects.

BURKINA FASO AWAITING INSTRUCTIONS


5. (C) USUN delivered reftel demarche to Burkinabe Political
Counselor Bonaventure Koudougou on April 3. Koudougou said
the idea of a PRST was under consideration and that he would
be in touch when he received further instructions.

AFRICAN UNION SAYS A COUP PRST WOULD BE "DEFINITELY HELPFUL"


6. (C) Ambassador DiCarlo delivered reftel demarche to the
AU on April 6. AU Mission PermRep Lila Ratsifandrihamanana
said a PRST would be "definitely helpful," and welcomed any
Security Council support for the AU. She also cited the AU's
decision from the February Assembly which condemned the coups
in Mauritania and Guinea, as well as its recent condemnation
of Madagascar's coup, as specific AU actions that the Council
could support. Ratsifandrihamanana said she would contact
the African members of the Security Council to see how she
could assist in the creation of a PRST.
Rice