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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000333 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
TREASURY FOR OFFICE OF AFRICAN NATIONS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2017 
TAGS: PGOV ELAB PINS GV
SUBJECT: PATIENCE DIMINISHING AS PRIME MINISTER HAS YET TO 
FORM NEW GOVERNMENT 
 
REF: A. CONAKRY 313 
 
     ¶B. CONAKRY 299 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Jessica Davis Ba. Reasons 1.4 (b) and 
(d). 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY.  Guinea's union leaders told us March 19 
that if a new government is not named before the end of this 
week, they fear public protest.  Although they have not set a 
deadline themselves, the union coalition says the people are 
losing patience with the time it is taking for Prime Minister 
Lansana Kouyate to name his cabinet.  The obstacle is 
President Conte and his coterie, who are resisting the 
appointment of an entirely new slate of ministers, with 
several candidates from the Guinean diaspora.  While Guineans 
are encouraged by the decree restructuring the cabinet (Ref 
A), the situation remains tenuous without a consensus list. 
Unions and others are concerned about the hemorrhaging of 
funds from public coffers (Ref B).  As time continues to drag 
on, the risk of public discontent grows.  If there is another 
round of protests, violence, and a spiral into a deeper 
crisis, a solution will be more difficult to achieve, since 
the population will likely revert to its January 22 demand 
for change at the top.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
Union Leaders Firm on Stance, Cautious on Future 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶2.  (C) Since his appointment as Prime Minister on February 
27, Lansana Kouyate has met several times with union leaders 
to discuss a range of issues.  CNTG General Secretary 
Rabiatou Serah Diallo and USTG General Secretary Ibrahima 
Fofana expressed confidence in the new Prime Minister and say 
they are doing all they can to support his efforts.  Fofana 
declared that it is too early to judge Kouyate on his 
actions.  He continued, "I just hope that the Prime Minister 
is allowed to do his work -- if not, it will be bad, very bad 
for all of us."  The union leaders are coordinating efforts 
to encourage members and the larger population to remain 
patient while the Prime Minister chooses his cabinet.  So 
far, they have been successful in staving off calls for 
immediate action from their base, particularly in the 
interior.  Union leaders upcountry want to establish a firm 
deadline for the cabinet appointments, with severe 
consequences if it is not met. 
 
¶3.  (C) Diallo said that Kouyate has acknowledged that he is 
meeting resistance from Conte and his camp, who insist that 
the cabinet include a few current ministers.  (Note.  Our 
sources tell us the ministers that Conte wants to retain are 
former Prime Minister Eugene Camara, Minister of Agriculture 
Jean-Paul Sarr, and Minister of Transportation Ibrahima 
Keira.  Keira was spotted by one of our contacts at Prime 
Minister Kouyate's residence on March 18, making the 
obligatory "pilgrimage" that many others have recently made 
hoping to win a seat in the new government.  End Comment). 
Diallo and Fofana agreed that the unions and the population 
at large would not accept the appointment of a single 
minister who has ever served in a ministerial capacity under 
either Conte or Sekou Toure.  They insisted that this 
criteria is not negotiable. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Have the Candidates, But Will Conte Sign? 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) Although they initially resisted getting involved in 
the process to vet candidates, the union leaders admitted 
that the Prime Minister insisted they offer names for the 
cabinet.  Kouyate reportedly said that the unions have led 
the struggle this far and must continue to play a role both 
in and outside of the government in order to foster 
consensus.  Diallo and Fofana bemoaned being inundated with 
resumes and dossiers of hopefuls.  The union coalition has 
established a committee to evaluate the "applications", 
summarize credentials by sector, and send forward the 
strongest candidates.  Without offering specific names, 
Diallo confirmed there were several resumes of women who are 
competent, but may have been overlooked.  Fofana agreed that 
there is no lack of talent from which Kouyate can choose, it 
is more a question of whether Conte will agree to appoint the 
Prime Minister's selections. 
 
¶5.  (C) Diallo and Fofana told Poloff that in their last 
meeting with the Prime Minister, Kouyate said the unions 
forgot to build a key component into the negotiated agreement 
with the government -- what they will do if Conte refuses to 
 
CONAKRY 00000333  002 OF 002 
 
 
sign a decree naming a government of consensus.  Kouyate 
reportedly said that in this event, he would immediately 
resign.  But the Prime Minister promised to forewarn the 
union leaders before taking this course.  Diallo and Fofana 
said that if this were to happen, Guinea would erupt.  When 
Poloff asked how likely an outcome this is, they replied, 
"Anything can happen - especially since it all still depends 
on Conte and he is sick." 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
No Controls to Stem the Hemorrhaging of Resources 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶6.  (C) During this period of continued uncertainty, Guinea 
remains in a sense of suspended animation.  Activities at 
most ministries are at a standstill.  Our contacts in key 
ministries such as Territorial Administration and 
Decentralization, Economy and Finance, and Foreign Affairs 
confirm that employees make an appearance a few times each 
week, but produce nothing.  Most just show up out of fear 
that without the "face time", they might be the first on the 
chopping block as the government is restructured.  Others 
come to work to divert resources from their associated 
projects and activities.  Diallo charged that while Kouyate 
has tried to establish fiscal controls on cash, bonds are now 
being written for gold to be removed from the Central Bank. 
 
¶7.  (C) The union leaders cited the "unquenchable thirst" of 
the presidency for money.  Fofana exclaimed, "I do not even 
know what Conte could be doing with all the money he is 
taking -- it certainly is not being spent to bolster Guinea's 
economy."  Diallo said the main offenders are in the Ministry 
of Defense.  Other key culprits are the Prime Ministry, prior 
to the arrival of Lansana Kouyate, and the Ministries of 
Security and Territorial Administration and Decentralization. 
 Diallo said that people are taking what they can now, but 
hoped that all would eventually pay for their actions after 
audits are conducted and the perpetrators identified. 
 
¶8.  (C) Even Guinea's hospitals have taken to shaking down 
their patients, Diallo said (note: although this is not 
entirely new, given the lack of resources most medical 
facilities face).  After hospital visits where international 
donors present victims with funds to help offset personal 
expenses, the doctors and hospital administrators lock the 
doors of the facility to demand their part of the payments. 
If the patients refuse to pay, their beds are given to others 
and they are refused additional treatment.  The union leaders 
said that when they try to draw attention to these and other 
transgressions, the government tries to turn the facts around 
and blame the unions.  At the same time, the union leaders 
told Poloff that the population has unrealistic expectations 
of them and that neither the unions nor a Prime Minister will 
be able to fix all Guinea's wrongs in the near term. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9.  (C) The union leaders' sentiments are shared by the 
majority of the population -- we will wait patiently for a 
government of consensus, but the end result must not fall 
short.  The criteria for new blood is unconditional, and 
public expectations are high.  Immediately following the 
appointment of Kouyate as Prime Minister/Head of Government, 
Guinea was engulfed in a celebratory mood -- all the 
sacrifices seemed to pay off with a people's victory.  Over 
the next two weeks, average citizens regarded the time it was 
taking to appoint the government as a positive sign that the 
Prime Minister was consulting widely and that he was putting 
great thought and consideration into finding the best 
candidates.  Through the end of last week, most of our 
interlocutors were optimistic.  Now, however, there is a 
shift in the climate.  The union leaders, who are in close 
touch with members throughout the country, expressed doubt 
that they would be able to keep things calm if the situation 
drags on past the end of this week.  If Conte remains 
intransigent or Kouyate backs down, citizens will undoubtedly 
protest.  The naming of a Prime Minister/Head of Government 
was a negotiated solution, not the primary demand of the 
street.  Should this solution fall through, Guineans will 
return to their January 22 position -- change at the top. 
 
MCDONALD