VZCZCXYZ0020
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPC #0813/01 2361059
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 241059Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY LOME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7321
INFO RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA PRIORITY 1980
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0094
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 0930
RUEHCO/AMEMBASSY COTONOU PRIORITY 3885
RUEHOU/AMEMBASSY OUAGADOUGOU PRIORITY 8837
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0486
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 0149
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY

UNCLAS LOME 000813 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM EAID TO
SUBJECT: EU AND ITS MEMBER STATES EMBRACE TOGOLESE 
POLITICAL ACCORD 
 
REF: A. LOME 800 
     ¶B. LOME 798 
     ¶C. LOME 741 
     ¶D. LOME 667 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary. The GOT has begun to see positive 
diplomatic fallout from Sunday's successful completion of the 
national political dialogue (refs a and b). In early 
September, President Faure Gnassingbe plans to travel to 
Brussels, Rome, and Paris to be received by top host 
government and EU officials, followed by an official visit to 
Berlin in mid-October. The EU, historically Togo's biggest 
donor, also has decided to include Togo in programming for 
the 10th European Development Fund (FED), which runs from 
2008 to 2013. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Background. The signing on August 20 by all the 
participants in the Togolese national dialogue, which 
included the GOT and its affiliated political parties (the 
president's party, the RPT, along with the so-called moderate 
opposition), the major opposition parties -- the so-called 
radical opposition, and two organizations representing civil 
society, was viewed widely as an important step in ending 
Togo's long political crisis. The crisis came to a head in 
2005 when Togo's long-term dictator, President Gnassingbe 
Eyadema, died unexpectedly and was succeeded in a flawed and 
non-transparent process by his son, Faure. Widespread 
political violence ensued, in which 500 people died, mostly 
at the hands of the security forces, and 40,000 fled to 
neighboring countries. At the time of Eyadema's death, Togo 
was beginning to emerge from nearly 20 years of a donor 
boycott in response to the GOT's abysmal governance human 
rights record. Several months before his death, Eyadema 
agreed to implement 22 commitments he undertook with the EU 
in the areas of democracy, governance, and human rights and 
was beginning to make progress when he died. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Background cont. Despite his inauspicious start, the 
U.S.-educated Faure espoused a reformist agenda from the 
outset, including a pledge to follow through with the 22 EU 
commitments, the first of which was a national political 
dialogue. Although the "radical opposition" was initially 
hostile -- to the point of refusing to recognize Faure's 
mandate -- Faure was able to convince his rivals of his 
willingness to break with the past and engage them as 
partners in negotiations regarding the future. The EU 
recognized the progress Faure was making in this and other 
areas by releasing small tranches of the over 100 million 
Euros in frozen assistance that had accumulated over the 
years but refused to go any further pending a successful 
outcome to the national dialogue (ref c). End Background. 
 
¶4. (U) The signing of a comprehensive political agreement on 
August 20 marked the successful completion of the dialogue 
process. The agreement calls for fundamental reforms in 
Togolese institutions, mostly to be undertaken after election 
of a new legislature in late 2007, and the immediate 
appointment of a government of national union (to include the 
radical opposition), tasked with preparing for free and fair 
legislative elections as well as implementing the most urgent 
reforms in other specified areas. Although short on details, 
numerous safeguards are built into the agreement, including 
the appointment of a monitoring committee chaired by dialogue 
facilitator President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso and 
that includes ECOWAS and the EU in its membership. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Anxious to demonstrate support for progress in a 
country that has shown little over the past 20 years, the EU 
and key member states have been quick to respond. The EU 
charge in Lome told the Ambassador following the signing 
ceremony that in addition to being received by President 
Chirac in Paris on September 7 (ref C), an invitation that 
was extended even before the outcome of the dialogue was 
known, President Faure will travel to Brussels on September 3 
and 4, where he will be received by the King, prime minister, 
and EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel, and to Rome on 
September 6, where he will meet with Prime Minister Prodi. 
After Paris, Faure will return to Lome before departing for 
the UNGA in New York. After returning from the UNGA, Faure 
will travel to Berlin on October 13, where he will be 
received by Chancellor Merkel. In addition, Togo will be 
included in the upcoming European Development Fund budget 
cycle, the 10th FED that runs from 2009 to 2013, with the 
 
objective of helping Togo "with its economic revival and 
social justice (programs)" according to an EU press release. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The GOT also has been making progress in the area of 
macroeconomic reforms. After satisfying the IMF's 
preconditions, Togo is about to sign an agreement with the 
Fund to begin a Staff Monitored Program before the end of 
2006, whose successful completion would restore Togo's 
eligibility for concessional IMF financing (ref d). e 
restoration of EU development aid will be crucial to the 
GOT's ability to repay its arrears to the World Bank and thus 
regain eligibility for World Bank programs. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment. Although a secondary partner relative to 
the EU, France, and Germany, the U.S. nonetheless has played 
an important role in Togo historically. The statement by the 
Department's acting press spokesman August 22 congratulating 
the government and opposition upon the signing of the 
political accord was front page news in Lome. Post will be 
recommending further measures we can take to encourage the 
Togolese leadership to continue on the reform path. End 
Comment. 
 
 
 
DUNN