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DE RUEHFN #0122/01 0531300
ZNY CCCCC ZZH (CCY CAPTION AD8303DD MSI0496 503)
O 212032Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY FREETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0805
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L FREETOWN 000122 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y (ADDING SIPDIS CAPTION) 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/21/2017 
TAGS: GV PREL SL LI
SUBJECT: TFG01: SIERRA LEONE ISSUES STATEMENT ON GUINEA 
 
REF: (A) STATE 19838 (B) FREETOWN 112 (C) CONAKRY 160 
 
Classified By: DCM E. Susie Pratt, Reasons 1.4 B/D 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  Presentation of Ref A demarche requesting a 
Sierra Leonean statement on Guinea to President Kabbah's 
private secretary on February 20 and to the Director General 
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the following day was 
overtaken by the Sierra Leonean and Liberian Presidents' 
visit to Conakry on February 20.  A statement issued by 
Kabbah's office on February 21 said that Guinea President 
Conte promised the visiting Presidents that he would dialogue 
with the labor unions and civil society and offer names for a 
new Prime Minister within two weeks.  MFA DG Wurie commented 
to the Ambassador that Conte is well known for making 
promises that he has no intention of keeping as has been the 
case in the Yenga dispute between Sierra Leone and Guinea. 
End Summary. 
 
-------------------- 
Meeting with the MFA 
-------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Ambassador and DCM met with Sierra Leone Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs DG Ambassador Umaru Wurie on February 21 to 
deliver demarche (Ref A), along with a copy of the February 
16 U.S. Press Statement (Ref C) and to inquire about the 
result of the joint visit by Sierra Leone President Ahmad 
Tejan Kabbah and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to 
Guinea to meet with President Conte.  Minister Koroma, who 
had accompanied them on the visit, was unavailable as he was 
departing to do some "politicking" up country with SLPP 
Presidential hopeful, Vice President Solomon Berewa. 
 
¶3. (C) Wurie had not be specifically informed of the outcome 
of the meeting, but noted that in accordance with the 
demarche request, Sierra Leone was planning to issue a Press 
Release on the visit itself. (Note: Embassy Freetown obtained 
a copy of the release after the visit. It appears in full. 
Para 7, below).  Wurie confirmed that Kabbah had returned to 
Sierra Leone early in the afternoon of February 20. Wurie 
commented that it would be likely that Conte would respond 
favorably to their visit, but in the end would pursue his own 
agenda. Conte, he said, is "like Charles Taylor" who was 
notorious for accepting advice and direction, but "afterwards 
doing what he wanted."  For example, Wurie pointed out 
Conte's failed promises over the Yenga border dispute between 
Guinea and Sierra Leone. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
Kabbah's Private Secretary Views on Guinea 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶4.  (C) On February 20, Ambassador and DCM met over lunch 
with Sheka Mansaray, who has been President Kabbah's private 
secretary for ten years.  During the lunch Ambassador 
 
SIPDIS 
delivered Ref A demarche and press statement. At the time of 
the meeting, Mansaray was not sure of the specific message 
Kabbah and Sirleaf were delivering to Conte that day. 
Interestingly, only the day before, Monday, February 19, 
Mansaray had told the Ambassador that Kabbah would not go to 
Guinea, because the situation "was evolving."  Apparently 
President Sirleaf changed Kabbah's mind. Mansaray agreed that 
it was time for Conte to leave office, echoing Kabbah's views 
as reported Ref B. Conte's best option, he said, would be for 
a dignified retirement, since he is no longer capable of 
governing.  He did not think Conte would seek refuge in 
another country. 
 
¶5.  (C) In response to the Ambassador's query, Mansaray 
confirmed that President Kabbah had met with Aicha Conneh 
over the past weekend. He said the subject of that meeting 
was closely held and Kabbah was not sharing the contents with 
anyone. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
Discussion with Liberian Ambassador to Sierra Leone 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶6. (C) Earlier on February 21, DCM spoke with Liberian 
Ambassador Thomas Brima who thought that the Kabbah-Sirleaf 
visit to Conte had gone well. He said Conte appeared willing 
to listen to requests that he include civil society in a 
dialogue to move beyond the current crisis and spoke to him 
about the need for change, but did not know whether he would 
actually follow that advice. According to the Liberian 
Ambassador, neither Kabbah nor Sirleaf (at least publicly) 
went so far as to encourage Conte to step down. They did 
imply to him, if they did not explicitly say it, that Conte 
could no longer govern effectively and should listen to the 
legitimate concerns of the Guinean people.  The Liberian 
Ambassador added that Kabbah and Sirleaf told Conte that 
Sierra Leone and Liberia are transforming democratically, and 
in the interest of Mano River regional security and growth, 
it is time for Guinea to transform itself as well. 
 
¶7. (U) Late on February 21, The Office of the President 
issued a Press Release on the visit. The release, the full 
text of which appears below, highlighted a positive outcome 
from the "one day consultative summit" with Presidents Conte, 
Sirleaf and Kabbah. It underscored Conte's promise to engage 
civil society on the way forward and to solicit names for a 
new Prime Minister.   The release noted that Sirleaf and 
Kabbah had promised to uphold the security protocols of the 
Mano River Union in the event of incursions into Guinea from 
neighboring countries. 
 
Begin Text of Press Release: 
 
Sierra Leone Government Office of the President: Press 
Release, Wednesday, 21st February 2007 
 
On Tuesday the 20th of February 2007, President Alhaji Dr. 
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of the Republic of Sierra Leone and 
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of the Republic of Liberia 
held a one-day consultative Summit with the President of the 
Republic of Guinea, General Lansana Conte in Conakry. 
 
It will be recalled that about a month ago, the Trade Union 
Movement in the Republic of Guinea called for a strike action 
against the Government. That strike action has developed into 
an ugly confrontation between Government security forces and 
the general public resulting in several deaths. 
 
Although attempts have been made in order to have a peaceful 
resolution of the problem, there seems to be an impasse. The 
objective of the visit of the two Presidents was therefore to 
have a first hand account of the situation in Guinea from 
President Lansana Conte and to discuss with him how to 
resolve the impasse. 
 
President Lansana Conte expressed gratitude to the visiting 
Presidents for the concern expressed by them and for the 
offer of assistance to him. He informed them that he had made 
efforts to meet part of the demands of the Trade Union 
Movement by appointing a new Prime Minister. This however 
does not seem to satisfy the Trade Union Movement and hence 
the impasse. 
 
Notwithstanding, he however expressed the desire to move the 
process forward promising that in two weeks time he would 
come up with a new decision to address the impasse. 
Meanwhile, he was extending an invitation through the two 
Presidents to the Trade Union Movement and the Civil Society 
of Guinea to make suggestions on the way forward including 
possible names for consideration for the position of a new 
Prime Minister, to engage him to reach a decision that will 
be acceptable too all Guineans 
 
While President Kabbah was briefing journalists about the 
outcome of their visit to Guinea, one of the journalists 
enquired about news of further deterioration of security in 
the country including possible incursion of rebels from 
neighboring countries. 
 
In response, the two Presidents assured the Guinean people of 
their readiness at all times to activate and collaborate with 
Guinean authorities in the implementation of the Security 
Protocols of the Mano River Union in order to maintain 
security and preserve the territorial integrity of Guinea and 
their own countries. 
 
End text of Press Release. 
HULL