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FM AMEMBASSY LOME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7033
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN PRIORITY
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LOME 000474 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PARIS FOR D'ELIA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/02/2013 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM TO
SUBJECT: GILCHRIST OLYMPIO IN TOGO, TALKS ABOUT NATIONAL 
DIALOGUE 
 
REF: LOME 447 
 
LOME 00000474  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador David B. Dunn; Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
 ¶1.   (U)  Summary: Gilchrist Olympio, the absentee head of 
the principal Togolese opposition party, the Union des Forces 
de Changement (UFC) called on the Ambassador on April 28 
during a rare visit to Togo.  Olympio was in Togo to 
celebrate the 43rd anniversary of Togolese independence April 
¶27.  Dialogue between the GoT and the opposition parties 
commenced on April 21. UFC is participating in the dialogue 
despite concerns about lack of an outside facilitator. 
Regional overseer Obasanjo seems to have handed Togo off to 
Campaore.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Gilchrist Olympio, the self-exiled head of the 
principal Togolese opposition party, the Union des Forces de 
Changement (UFC) called on the Ambassador on April 28 during 
one of his rare visits to Togo.  Olympio came to Togo to 
celebrate the 43rd anniversary of Togolese independence on 
April 27 in a program organized by the UFC.  As a 
conciliatory gesture, the GoT commemorated TogoQ,s 
independence on a much grander scale that was ever seen 
before. Former President Eyadema insisted that January 13, 
the day he came to power (and coincidentally the date that 
GilchristQ,s father Sylvanus Olympio, the first president of 
Togo, was assassinated, probably with the collusion of 
Eyadema) in a coup, be celebrated as Independence Day. 
(Although some members of the opposition participated in the 
government ceremonies, neither Olympio nor any UFC members 
did.) A big April 27 celebration is new.  The Ambassador 
commented that symbols are important, especially in a context 
where there is a confidence gap, so it is important for 
Olympio, without being naQve, to appropriately encourage 
these gestures. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Olympio, age 70, appeared to be in good health, 
although in conversation he was inclined to wander off the 
point and talk about the importance of his own role in the 
topic at hand. He was not tightly focused. 
 
¶4.  (U)  The Ambassador agreed with Olympio that the role of 
the international community is very important in helping Togo 
get past the current crisis.  He said we are all anxious to 
see the parties reach a consensus on reform.  For the United 
States, Togo is important, in that advancement of democracy 
is a critical component of U.S. foreign policy.  Moreover, an 
unstable Togo would be bad for the region, and democracy 
offers the best chance for social harmony and economic 
growth. The Ambassador pointed out that the USG is preparing 
to help Ghana and Benin with their economic development with 
significant resources. It is the political situation that is 
holding back development in and foreign assistance to Togo. 
 
¶5.  (C)  Olympio said that, despite apprehension over the 
lack of an outside facilitator, the UFC decided to 
participate in the national dialogue that began on April 21 
in Lome.  He pointed out that he had hoped that a 
facilitator, with the backing of the EU, the UN, and the US, 
would act as a catalyst for Togolese efforts and would play a 
major role in implementation of what would be agreed.  The 
Ambassador noted that there is not much argument about which 
issues need to be discussed.  He said the GoT has been saying 
the right things, and having the opposition engage with the 
government is the best way to test its seriousness about 
reform. 
 
¶6.  (C)  When Olympio pointed out the need for reform of the 
army, the Ambassador acknowledged the importance of such 
reform, including the definition of the armyQ,s mission, but 
advised that one would need to proceed cautiously, as 
experience with coups dQ,etat in countries where the military 
was worried about reform has shown.  Olympio talked about 
phased reform of the military whereby, at first, a few 
officers would be shifted around and the army would be kept 
in the barracks until after elections.  In a second phase, 
three to five years out, recruitment policies would change to 
include all areas of the country, not just the north.  In the 
third phase, the military would have a structured mission 
that would not include a policing function. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  In a discussion about mediators, Olympio was 
initially surprised when President Campaore of Burkina Faso 
called him in March to talk about national dialogue. 
Nigerian President Obasanjo seems to have dropped his role as 
regional dealmaker in Togolese politics, and Burkina FasoQ,s 
Campaore appears to have taken over.  CampaoreQ,s Minister of 
Security has been representing him in Lome at the Dialogue. 
 
LOME 00000474  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  Olympio confided that the position of France is 
worrying to him. France likes stable regimes in Africa to the 
exclusion of other considerations, e.g. democracy.  He had an 
appointment with the French ambassador immediately after his 
call at the American Embassy.  Olympio said he planned to ask 
for French support for the dialogue going on now, for help to 
ensure that the next electoral process is credible, and for 
assistance in ensuring that the army remains in the barracks 
during the run up to and through elections. 
 
¶9. (C) Comment: Despite his long absence from Togo, Olympio 
remains the second most important person in the country's 
political dynamic. In this meeting, he appeared more youthful 
than his age would suggest. However, his tendency to focus on 
themes and events peripheral to the core issues of Togolese 
politics, and occasional evasiveness, leads us to question 
his value to the process of (needed) change in Togo. End 
Comment 
DUNN