VZCZCXRO0374
RR RUEHPA
DE RUEHJL #0121/01 0581755
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 271755Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY BANJUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6429
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP
RUFGAID/USEUCOM AIDES VAIHINGEN GE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANJUL 000121 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DAKAR PLS PASS DAO, ODC 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ETRD ELTN EWWT GA SG
SUBJECT: THE GAMBIA: RAPPROCHEMENT WITH SENEGAL CONTINUES 
 
REF: A. 05 BANJUL 860 ET AL 
 
     ¶B. BANJUL 24 
 
BANJUL 00000121  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Joseph Stafford, reason 1.4 (b and d) 
 
AGREEMENT ON RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF PERMANENT SECRETARIAT 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) Judging from reported official Senegalese/Gambian 
contacts of late, the two countries' rapprochement process 
following their August/October 2005 crisis over transport and 
border issues continues to advance (ref a provides background 
 on the crisis).  Building on Gambian President Jammeh's 
October 2005 discussions in Dakar with the Senegalese and 
Nigerian Presidents and the December 28-29, 2005  meeting of 
the Senegalese/Gambian Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) in 
Banjul (ref b), the two sides' Foreign Ministers, according 
to the local media, met in Dakar February 25-26 and reached 
agreement on a plan for re-establishing the "Senegalo-Gambian 
Permanent Secretariat" in existence prior to the countries' 
confederation experiment in the 1980's.  The two Ministers 
reportedly agreed to maintain the target date of July 1, 
2006, established at the December gathering, for the 
resurrected Permanent Secretariat to be operational. 
 
PROGRESS ON TRANSPORT ISSUES 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The two sides have also made progress recently on 
transport issues,  according to Gambian media reporting of a 
late January meeting in Banjul of the bilateral working group 
responsible for implementation of the parties' November 2004 
Road Transport Agreement. Reportedly, the delegations, 
co-chaired by the Gambian Permanent Secretary for Works and 
the Senegalese Director of Land Transport, reached agreement 
on a heretofore tough, nitty-gritty issue -- allocation of 
permits to Senegalese-  and Gambian-registered vehicles for 
transport of passengers across Senegalese/Gambian border 
areas.  The press reported that the meeting also produced a 
decision to reduce the "excessive" number of police 
checkpoints along traffic arteries linking the two countries 
so as to facilitate movement of goods and passengers between 
them.  There was reportedly discussion of the sensitive 
matter of tariff increases for the Gambia River ferries 
heavily used by Senegalese transporters moving between 
Northern Senegal and Casamance. The two sides announced that 
the GOTG was preparing a tariff increase package for GOS 
perusal, but gave no further  details. (NOTE: It was the 
GOTG's abrupt decision in August 2005 to impose hefty tariff 
increases without prior consultation with the GOS, as 
required by the relevant bilateral agreement, that sparked 
the two-month bilateral crisis, including closure of 
Senegal's border with The Gambia.  END NOTE.) 
 
UPBEAT ASSESSMENT BY SENEGALESE AMBASSADOR 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (C) In recent conversation with Ambassador, Senegalese 
Ambassador Ndiougha Ndiaye indicated satisfaction with the 
state of the Senegalese/Gambian relationship, citing 
substantial progress in the rapprochement since the 2005 
crisis.  He asserted that the GOTG, after years of 
foot-dragging, was now proving cooperative on a long-standing 
Senegalese priority -- construction of a bridge across The 
Gambia River to facilitate overland travel between the two 
portions of Senegal separated by Gambian territory.   Noting 
the decision at the December JCC  meeting to place the bridge 
project under the auspices of the Gambia  River Basin 
Development Organization (OMVG), he expressed confidence that 
the upcoming OMVG meeting in Dakar would witness agreement on 
an action plan for the project, including solicitation of 
donor support.   Asked about a previously thorny bilateral 
issue -- Casamance -- Ndiaye said the GOS "has no problems 
with the Gambians" on this score.  The Senegalese Ambassador 
remarked that Jammeh seemed to be respecting pledges made at 
the Dakar summit in October 2005 to refrain from any meddling 
on behalf of Casamance  rebel elements and to ensure that 
Gambian authorities cooperated with Senegalese counterparts 
on such issues as denying refuge to rebels in Gambian 
territory. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶4. (C) The December 2005 JCC meeting produced various 
specific timetables for achievement of bilateral objectives 
-- e.g., the July 1, 2006 target date for re-activation of 
the Joint Permanent Secretariat.   While the timetables 
established at the 2004 JCC gathering in Dakar proved to be 
 
BANJUL 00000121  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
dead letters, this latest JCC gathering appears to have 
generated genuine impetus for cooperation on key bilateral 
concerns, the Gambia River bridge project, in particular. A 
key factor for this impetus is doubtless the GOTG's 
eagerness, following the August/October 2005 crisis, to avoid 
provoking renewed confrontation with their far more powerful 
neighbor.  END COMMENT. 
STAFFORD