VZCZCXRO5544
RR RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNJ #0828/01 1631042
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121042Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3916
INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 1170
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0786
RUEHBP/AMEMBASSY BAMAKO 0656
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1089
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0239
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1436
RUEHNM/AMEMBASSY NIAMEY 2709
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1830
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 1225
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0795
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 0238

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000828 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR AF, AFC, DRL, PRM, S/CRS 
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KCRS CD
SUBJECT: CHAD: PRESIDENT'S CALL FOR "DIALOGUE" REJECTED 
 
REF: NDJAMENA 826 
 
SUMMARY: 
--------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) The Chadian President has instructed his Council of 
Ministers to take the initiative for a "Chado-Chadian, 
internal political dialogue" to allow Chadians -- not 
foreigners -- to take control of the political development of 
the country.  The political opposition publicly rejected any 
proposals that would be directed or controlled by President 
Deby's GOC.  At least one armed opposition group seconded the 
rejection in a press release.  Set next to the opposition's 
pie-in-the-sky proposals for internationally supervised 
dismantlement of the Deby State (reftel), it seems that at 
least one dialogue is now under way -- a dialogue of the 
deaf.  END SUMMARY. 
 
DIALOGUE -- BUT WITH LIMITS 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Chad's President Idriss Deby Itno announced to the 
press on June 8 (through his spokesman) that he had 
instructed his Council of Ministers to take the initiative 
for a "Chado-Chadian, internal political dialogue". 
Presiding over the Council for the first time since his 
re-election on May 3, Deby stated that the objective of the 
dialogue would be to allow Chadians -- not foreigners -- to 
take control of the political development of the country. 
However, such a dialogue would take as its point of departure 
the existing institutional framework and "democratic 
structures". 
 
¶3. (SBU) The President's spokesman, Minister for 
Communication and Culture Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor, stated to 
the press that the GOC was to put into place a team charged 
with preparing the dialogue, with all legal political parties 
participating.  He emphasized that while the dialogue would 
address "all the questions preoccupying the Republic," there 
would be no room for calling into question Chad's democratic 
institutions as they currently exist.  He noted that it 
appeared the opposition party umbrella group, Coordination of 
the Political Parties for the Defense of the Constitution 
(CPDC), sought to put aside the country's institutions, in a 
sort of leap into the unknown. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Council of Ministers was reported to have noted 
that while Chad's foreign partners could be solicited for 
financial, material and intellectual contributions, there 
should be no question of them doing for Chad what Chadians 
can and should do for themselves. 
 
CPDC, FAR -- REJECTION 
----------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) CPDC spokesman Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh (PLD), 
issued a statement on June 10 rejecting Deby's conception of 
dialogue.  He characterized the proposal as a clear 
indication to the international community that no true 
political dialogue would be possible with a regime that is 
incarnated by one man alone.  "We seek national political 
dialogue with the support and guarantee of the international 
community."  Ngaralejy Yorongar of the non-CPDC member party 
Federation Action pour la Republique (FAR) joined the CPDC in 
refusing the President's proposal.  He pointed out in his 
statement to the press that, given Deby's rejection of any 
genuine political dialogue before the recent election, he saw 
no reason to accept the President's proposals now.  "It's 
only because of international interest in Chad's conflicts 
that he (Deby) is offering dialogue." 
 
FUCD -- BACKING THE 
POLITICAL OPPOSITION 
--------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The armed opposition group Front Uni pour le 
Changement Democratique (FUCD) issued a press statement, also 
 
NDJAMENA 00000828  002 OF 002 
 
 
on June 10, congratulating the CPDC and FAR for their "highly 
patriotic positions vis-a-vis Deby Itno's fallacious offer of 
dialogue..."  The FUCD called on Chadians in general, and 
internal political parties in particular, to actively support 
the CPDC and FAR in their refusal of the President's 
proposal, calling the rejection a "definitive turning of the 
page." 
 
COMMENT: 
--------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) This public exchange of rejections -- the 
President's of the CPDC's "leap into unknown", and the 
CPDC/FAR's of the President's "one-man regime" -- does not 
seem designed to begin filling the gulf in confidence between 
the main opposition grouping and the GOC.  We expect the 
President to continue to make announcements of dialogue 
planning, and the parties allied to his ruling MPS to add 
their voices.  As an example, a hitherto unknown group of 38 
parties, calling itself Political Parties of the Alliance, 
held a press conference June 12 to state their support for 
the Deby initiative, and to call on the international 
community to treat them in the same manner as the CPDC.  The 
absence of any GOC attempt to bridge the gap with the 
political opposition, while creating the impression of 
"dialogue-like" momentum, may increase pressures on the CPDC 
members and FAR to simply ally with the armed opposition. 
The FUCD press statement would give the image that this is 
already coming together.  Far from defusing the political 
crisis, the move toward dialogue a la Deby seems to have the 
potential of further alienating the internal political 
opposition.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶8. (U) Tripoli Minimize Considered. 
WALL