VZCZCXRO0059
PP RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #2088 2430937
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 310937Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6162
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0196
RUEHLC/AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE 0905
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON 0745
RUEHLU/AMEMBASSY LUANDA 0389
RUEHTO/AMEMBASSY MAPUTO 0424

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAKAR 002088 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, INL/AAE AND S/P 
ACCRA FOR USAID/WA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/07/2016 
TAGS: PGOV ECON KDEM PU
SUBJECT: GUINEA-BISSAU: PAIGC REQUIRED TO INVITE BACK 
SUSPENDED MEMBERS 
 
 
Classified By: DCM Robert P. Jackson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY: A Bissau-Guinean court ordered the lead 
opposition party, the Party for the Independence of 
Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC), to allow suspended 
members, such as President Vieira, Prime Minister Gomes, and 
others, to rejoin the party.  This steps up the tempo of 
national reconciliation attempts with the donor,s round 
table looming in November.  While political machinations play 
out in the capital, serious reforms and development 
initiatives sit on the sidelines.  Significant investment is 
needed in training and democracy building for political 
parties and parliamentarians.  END SUMMARY. 
 
MANY NATIONAL RECONCILIATION EFFORTS 
------------------------------------ 
¶2.  (U) Prime Minister Aristides Gomes won a ruling on August 
18 from the Regional Tribunal of Bissau, which said the PAIGC 
must invite him and other suspended members back to the 
party.  In addition to Gomes, the list of those excluded 
includes President Joao Bernardo &Nino8 Vieira, and several 
members of the cabinet and National Popular Assembly (ANP). 
The timing of the ruling is important as the PAIGC heads into 
its party congress, September 11-18.  The PAIGC is still 
under the leadership of Carlos Gomes Jr., who was fired as 
Prime Minister last fall because of deep mistrust and 
animosity between him and Vieira dating back several years to 
business deals gone awry. 
 
¶3.  (U) The PAIGC responded that the court had no 
jurisdiction over internal party rules.  However, it did 
offer suspended members a conditional return if they agreed 
to fully accept the current political agenda and stop 
cooperating with the Democratic Convergence (CD), a coalition 
of politicians from various political parties.  The PAIGC 
claims there is no legal basis for the CD. 
 
¶4.  (C) A committee of PAIGC leaders told PolOff it also 
opposed the General Estates process, another effort underway 
for national reconciliation.  This is a broad national 
dialogue sponsored by the Government for almost all sectors, 
including civil society, business leaders, former presidents, 
and others.  According to PAIGC, no national reconciliation 
initiative can work when the arbiter, i.e., the Government, 
is also a participant. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶5.  (C) "National reconciliation," a term on everyone,s lips 
in Guinea-Bissau, is more about appearances than moving 
forward with a political agenda.  As the donor,s round table 
in Geneva on November 7-8 nears, the Government wants to show 
that it is making progress toward national reconciliation to 
polish the veneer of stability.  Unfortunately, 
reconciliation looks more like strong-arm tactics than actual 
dialogue.  While politicians jockey to control the 
reconciliation process, the tough policy issues are being 
ignored, such as reform of cashew policy, setting up a 
functioning anti-narcotics task force, and judicial and 
police reform among others. 
 
¶6.  (C) The PAIGC has been the dominant party since 
Guinea-Bissau,s independence from Portugal, and it has 
little concept of the role of an opposition party.  Since 
losing the presidential elections in 2000 and 2005, it has 
been quick to point out the government,s missteps but has 
yet to form any relevant policies or legislative initiatives 
of its own.  This is typical in Bissau-Guinean politics, 
where democracy is new and training is limited.  Continued 
training of political parties and parliamentarians, such as 
the current National Democratic Institute (NDI) capacity 
building project set to end in December, are needed if there 
is to be see any significant improvement.  END COMMENT. 
JACOBS