VZCZCXRO5514
OO RUEHPA
DE RUEHRY #0277/01 0641309
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 051309Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY CONAKRY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0792
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//POLAD/J2/J5//

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 CONAKRY 000277 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  03/05/17 
TAGS: PGOV PINS PREL GV
SUBJECT:  NEW GUINEAN PRIME MINISTER MUST STRIKE THE RIGHT 
BALANCE BETWEEN CONTINUITY AND CHANGE 
 
 
Classified by Ambassador Jackson McDonald.  Reasons 1.4 (b) 
and (d) 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C) On March 2, the Ambassador met for the first time 
with newly appointed Prime Minister Lansana Kouyate.  He 
said the U.S. will be as supportive as possible, if the new 
government is broad based and if it represents a distinct 
break with the corruption and cronyism of the past.  He 
encouraged continuation of the political dialogue, 
prosecution of persons responsible for killings and other 
violent acts, and restoration of private radio stations. 
He also probed on the delicate question of how Kouyate 
plans to "manage" President Lansana Conte. 
 
¶2.  (C) Enthusiastic, energetic, but aware of the 
challenges before him, Prime Minister Kouyate provided good 
responses to all of the above points but shied away from 
discussing in detail his relationship with Conte.  He spoke 
at length about his attachment to democratic values and, 
unlike many members of the governing elite, seems to 
realize that the voice of the people now counts in Guinea. 
 
¶3.  (C) Prime Minister Kouyate's first test will be the 
formation of a new government.  He must meet popular 
demands for real change, while avoiding drawing fire from 
the old guard, who will not concede power and privilege 
without a fight.  When choosing ministers, Kouyate must 
find the right balance between continuity and change.  If 
there is not enough change, the people will take to the 
streets again; if he attempts the wholesale removal of the 
old guard, then they will work to undercut him.  It remains 
to be seen whether he can pass this critical test. 
End summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
HEAD OF GOVERNMENT INSTALLED IN PRESIDENTIAL PALACE 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶4.  (C) On March 2, the Ambassador met for the first time 
with recently appointed Prime Minister Lansana Kouyate. 
The meeting took place at the Sekoutoureya Palace, the 
modern, Chinese-built presidential palace that President 
Lansana Conte seldom uses.  In a symbolic gesture, 
President Conte instructed his new prime minister/head of 
government to set up office at Sekoutoureya Palace rather 
than at the old, run-down prime ministry building. 
 
¶5.  (C) Unfortunately, Foreign Minister Mamady Conde (a 
card-carrying member of the old guard) and two note takers 
attended the first three-quarters of the meeting, a fact 
which at times inhibited discussion.  The Ambassador was, 
however, able to raise some sensitive matters in a brief 
one-on-one discussion at the end of the meeting. 
 
----------------------------- 
U.S. WILL SUPPORT REAL CHANGE 
----------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) After congratulating Prime Minister Kouyate on his 
appointment, the Ambassador said that the U.S. will be as 
supportive as possible, if the new government is broad 
based and if it represents a distinct break with the 
corruption, cronyism, and ineffective governance of the 
past.  He emphasized that the U.S. cannot support the 
continuation of bad governance.  The Guinean people have 
demanded change, and they deserve it.  He concluded that we 
would judge the new government by its actions, not just its 
words. 
 
¶7.  (C) Prime Minister Kouyate responded, "I will be the 
first to tell you not to support us if we don't change our 
ways."  He likened Guinea's arrested development to a hot 
air balloon tethered to the ground by ropes and weighted 
down by ballast.  He said it was necessary to cut the ropes 
of bad governance and cast off the ballast of decades of 
ineffective government in order to allow the balloon to 
rise. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
DIALOGUE CONTINUES PRIOR TO FORMATION OF NEW GOVERNMENT 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶8.  (C) The Ambassador noted that Kouyate had been named 
Prime Minister as the result of political dialogue; he 
encouraged him to continue this process of political 
dialogue as he forms his government and begins to tackle 
the many challenges facing Guinea. 
 
CONAKRY 00000277  002 OF 004 
 
 
 
¶9.  (C)Prime Minister Kouyate agreed, highlighting that h 
had already begun reaching out to others.  He sid he had 
visited the labor unions at their headquarters on March 1 
and that he would meet with th civil-society umbrella 
association at its headqarters later on March 2.  He said 
he would then egin visiting the headquarters of all major 
poliical parties.  Only after completing these 
consultations would he compose his new government.  Kouyae 
said he planned to announce the structure of te new 
government soon and then select the men an women to fill 
each ministerial position after boad consultations. 
 
----------------------------------- 
THE GUILTY MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶10.  (C) The Ambssador said that, as part of the national 
healin process, it was important not to let bygones bebygones.  To the contrary, there must be credible 
investigations into the killing, wounding, and desruction 
of property associated with the general trike and the 
state of siege.  Those responsiblemust be brought to 
justice and held accountable. 
 
¶11.  (C) Prime Minister Kouyate replied, "Impunity will not 
prevail."  He said that the justice system must do its job 
-- "there will be no obstructionism from me."  He commented 
that he had already met with the committee overseeing the 
investigations into crimes committed during the June 2006 
and January-February 2007 strikes and state of siege.  He 
had offered the committee moral and material support to 
complete its task. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
GOOD ELECTIONS BETTER THAN HASTY ELECTIONS 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶12.  (C) The Ambassador asked how Prime Minister Kouyate 
planned to deal with the legislative elections which 
should, in principle, take place in June. 
 
¶13.  (C) Prime Minister Kouyate said that he wanted the 
next elections in Guinea to be the "most transparent in 
Africa."  He said that he had not yet had time to take 
stock of where things stand with regard to preparations for 
the legislative elections.  In a brief digression, he 
recalled his proposal as ECOWAS Executive Secretary for 
ECOWAS to maintain a regional inventory of electoral 
equipment -- everything from computers, to voter I.D. card 
machines, to ballot boxes -- and then to deploy them to 
each member state as needed. 
 
¶14.  (C) Returning to the legislative elections in Guinea, 
Kouyate said it would be better to have transparent 
elections as soon as technically feasible rather than 
rushing to hold elections in June without proper 
preparation. 
 
¶15.  (C) The Ambassador told Prime Minister Kouyate that 
the U.N., the European Commission, the U.S., and several 
other bilateral donors have already allocated funds to 
support the electoral process in Guinea but were frustrated 
by the tedious pace of preparations by the Ministry of 
Territorial Administration.  He said that there was a 
consensus among the donors that it would be impossible to 
hold free, fair, transparent elections in June.  He said he 
thought the U.S. would accept some slippage in dates in 
order to allow time to prepare for the elections, as long 
as the elections were held before the end of the year. 
 
---------------------------------- 
MEDIA LIBERALIZATION MUST CONTINUE 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶16.  (C) The Ambassador noted that years of effort had led 
to private radio broadcasting in 2006.  He regretted that 
Red Berets had destroyed some private radio studios, most 
notably Radio Liberte, and that the Ministry of 
Communications had pulled the plug on RFI.  He emphasized 
the need for access to information in a democracy. 
 
¶17.  (C) Prime Minister Kouyate interrupted the meeting to 
convoke the Minister of Communications.  He said he had 
already intended to order the minister to turn back on RFI 
on local FM.  He recalled that, as representative of La 
Francophonie in Abidjan, he had advised President Gbagbo to 
do the same after the Ivoirian government had interrupted 
RFI broadcasts there.  As for local private radio stations 
in Guinea, such as Radio Liberte, Kouyate said that the 
government should help defray the cost of getting them back 
 
CONAKRY 00000277  003 OF 004 
 
 
on the air following the destruction of their equipment. 
 
---------------------- 
"A NEW ERA MUST BEGIN" 
---------------------- 
 
¶18.  (C) Prime Minister Kouyate said that his experience 
abroad, including in the U.S., had made him a true believer 
in democratic values and democratic practices, such as the 
right of the people to choose their government, separation 
of powers, and the right to information.  He said that he 
wanted the new government to be as transparent as possible. 
For example, he would insist that government accounts -- 
both receipts and expenditures -- be published. 
 
¶19.  (C) The Ambassador said that the fundamental lesson 
from the general strike was that "the people count" for the 
first time in Guinea's history.  Unfortunately, there are 
still some members of the old guard who simply cannot grasp 
that idea, who still believe in top-down rule, and who do 
not see the point of informing the people of what the 
government is doing, even when it does good things.  For 
decades, the government's communications policy has been 
almost inexistent, because the elite attach no importance 
to public opinion or world opinion. 
 
¶20.  (C) Prime Minister Kouyate replied, "A new era must 
begin" (Il faut qu'une nouvelle ere s'ouvre.")  He said 
there is a "dialectical relationship" between those who 
govern and the people, who must give their consent.  In the 
past, he said, Guineans suffered, fatalistically, through 
the Sekou Toure regime; Sekou Toure wanted to create "the 
new man," he only succeeded in "robotizing" the population. 
Now, Kouyate continued, the Guinean people have awakened -- 
slowly and tardily, but they have awakened; they are no 
longer willing to put up with economic deprivation; they 
are no longer willing to accept a government that does not 
have the people's consent. 
 
------------------------------ 
RELATIONS WITH PRESIDENT CONTE 
------------------------------ 
 
¶21.  (C) During a brief on-on-one discussion, the 
Ambassador briefed Prime Minister Kouyate on the position 
the U.S. had taken during the general strike and state of 
siege:  in short, President Conte is the problem, there is 
a leadership vacuum at the head-of-state level, and Guinea 
needs to address that problem head-on.  The Ambassador 
summarized briefly his demarches to President of the 
National Assembly Aboubacar Sompare, President of the 
Supreme Court Lamine Sidime, and Chief of Defense Staff 
General Kerfalla Camara. 
 
¶22.  (C) Prime Minister Kouyate indicated that he was aware 
of our forward-leaning policy.  He said that everyone must 
now acknowledge that Article 34 is not a viable option, 
because Sompare and Sidime do not have the courage to 
invoke it to remove Conte. 
 
¶23.  (S) Recounting his experience over recent weeks, 
Kouyate said that President Conte had told him on February 
9 that he would be named Prime Minister and had asked him 
to return right away from Abidjan to Conakry.  Before 
Kouyate could arrange a flight, however, something 
happened, and Eugene Camara was appointed Prime Minister. 
Kouyate said he was flabbergasted.  On February 10, Mrs. 
Kouyate called First Lady Henriette Conte, who was 
distressed to the point of being in tears over Eugene 
Camara's unexpected appointment. 
 
¶24.  (S) President Conte later called Kouyate in Abidjan, 
asking him to return to Conakry.  Kouyate responded that he 
would be pleased to provide advice over the phone but that, 
since Conte had not named him Prime Minister as planned, he 
saw no reason to return right away to Guinea.  Conte 
insisted, saying that he would greet Kouyate at the 
airport.  Eventually, Kouyate returned to Conakry.  Conte 
was not at the airport, but Kouyate was taken directly to 
the presidential palace.  There, President Conte was 
accompanied by Prime Minister Eugene Camara and Foreign 
Minister Mamady Conde.  President Conte asked Camara and 
Conde to brief Kouyate on the crisis and for Kouyate to 
recommend possible solutions. 
 
¶25.  (S) Camara, Conde, and Kouyate then went into another 
room, where the first two shared their analysis of the 
situation.  Kouyate said he was aghast.  Their analysis was 
wrong:  they blamed the strike on (a) a Peuhl plot to 
takeover the presidency and (b) a plot by Fode Bangoura to 
seize power. 
 
CONAKRY 00000277  004 OF 004 
 
 
 
¶26.  (S) Kouyate thanked them and returned to see President 
Conte.  He told Conte that the analysis provided by Eugene 
Camara and Mamady Conde was wrong.  "If the doctor makes 
the wrong diagnosis, no amount of medicine will cure the 
patient," he argued. 
 
¶27.  (S) Conte asked what he should do.  Kouyate 
recommended that Conte shorten his term in office and hold 
an early presidential election.  Kouyate said that Sekou 
Toure's legacy was Guinea's independence from France, and 
that Lansana Conte's legacy was maintaining Guinea's 
territorial integrity despite the wars in neighboring 
Liberia and Sierra Leone.  Kouyate argued that if Guinea 
were to crumble -- and the danger existed since 30 out of 
33 prefectures had been destroyed -- then Conte's legacy 
would be irremediably ruined.  Kouyate claimed that Conte 
took the point. 
 
¶28.  (S) The Ambassador asked how Kouyate, now that he is 
Prime Minister, plans to manage relations with President 
Conte and, especially, relations with Conte's family and 
cronies.  Kouyate replied, "That's my affair; I think you 
will be surprised; President Conte has done everything to 
facilitate my task as Prime Minister." 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶29.  (C) Enthusiastic, self-confident, but aware of the 
challenges before him, Prime Minister Kouyate is a breath 
of fresh air.  Unlike President Conte, he has a world view 
as well as a vision for Guinea.  As he said in his 
acceptance speech on March 1, he wants to bring Guinea in 
to "perfect harmony" with the region and the world.  He 
wants to end Guinea's five-decade-long isolation; he wants 
Guinea to join the modern world. 
 
¶30.  (C) Prime Minister Kouyate's first test will be the 
formation of a new government.  He must meet popular 
demands for real change, without drawing fire from the old 
guard.  Authoritarian regimes do not simply wither away and 
die.  The hard-liners will not concede power and privilege 
without a fight. 
 
¶32.  (C) When choosing ministers, Kouyate must find the 
right balance between continuity and change.  If there is 
not enough change, the people will take to the streets 
again; if he attempts the wholesale removal of the old 
guard, then the old guard will work to undercut him and to 
make him fail.  It remains to be seen whether he can pass 
this critical test. 
 
¶33.  (C) We think that Prime Minister Kouyate may be 
underestimating the resistance he is likely to receive from 
the circle of greedy family members (e.g., the Second Lady) 
and business cronies (e.g., Mamadou Sylla and Guido 
Santullo) around Conte.  Moreover, Prime Minister Kouyate 
will need to use all his political and diplomatic skills to 
manage President Conte's own practice of going in person to 
the customs office and the Central Bank to withdraw cash as 
if from his personal account.  No one has succeeded in 
ending this form of presidential bad governance in the 
past. 
 
¶34.  (C) The Guinean population is celebrating the turn of 
events as evidenced by the appointment of a "people's 
choice" Prime Minister.  They even turned out in joyous 
welcome for the return of the ECOWAS delegation on March 2. 
They are giving Prime Minister Kouyate time to do this 
right, to select his government wisely.  That said, they 
will not be patient with missteps.  Kouyate must take their 
views into account. 
 
MCDONALD