VZCZCXRO8670
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHRY #0768/01 3521612
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171612Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY CONAKRY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3223
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000768 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12598: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM ASEC GV
SUBJECT: GOG PUSHES ELECTIONS TO END OF MAY, 2009 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  During a hastily convened meeting 
with the donor community, Prime Minister Souare seemed 
eager to convince the international community of the 
GoG?s commitment to hold legislative elections as soon as 
possible.  At the same time, the GoG distributed a draft 
elections planning timetable, which listed May 31 as the 
new election date.  A heated inter-ministerial discussion 
suggests that financing issues continue to be a major 
stumbling block, although the PM assured the 
international community that the GoG would find the money 
to advance the electoral process.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Guinean Government?s election steering 
committee summoned the diplomatic corps to a late 
afternoon meeting on short notice Friday, December 12, to 
explain recent electoral developments.  Starting nearly 
90 minutes late, the meeting lasted for several hours. 
France, the EU, Spain, Japan, ECOWAS and the UN were 
present.  USAID Director represented the USG.   Prime 
Minister Souare led the Guinean delegation which 
consisted of many ministers, perhaps most of the cabinet, 
including Finance, Reconciliation, Justice, Territorial 
Affairs, Decentralization, and Planning and Cooperation. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
MAY 31 NOW THE TARGET DATE FOR ELECTIONS 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) According to the Minister of Territorial 
Administration and Political Affairs (MATAP), most of the 
voter registration units (CARLES) are up and running, but 
there are still many districts that are not yet 
operational.  The minister orally provided the group with 
detailed data on voter registration, but did not provide 
the diplomatic corps with copies of the report.  A 
representative from the GoG?s specialized team managing 
the voter registration process, which meets frequently 
and includes representatives of all major election 
donors, passed out an elections planning timetable that 
showed May 31 as elections day.  (COMMENT.  Guinee24.com 
reported on December 16 that the MATAP Minister had 
publicly announced the GoG?s intent to hold elections on 
May 31.  END COMMENT). 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The French Ambassador asked if the proposed 
timetable had accounted for the additional time needed to 
resolve the problems previously detailed by the MATAP 
Minister.  The answer was yes.  However, in response to a 
question from the Minister of Decentralization, the GoG 
acknowledged that it had not included the cost of 
registering Guineans abroad in its most recent budget 
projections.  The GoG noted that the political parties 
were insisting that some 40 countries be included in this 
effort, but that MATAP and the National Independent 
Electoral Commission (CENI) had proposed only 18, 
admitting that the issue had not yet been resolved. 
 
------------------- 
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY 
------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The government representatives then started 
arguing among themselves over whether or not the GoG 
would be able to come up with the additional resources 
needed to fill the 2008 elections budget gap, which is 
some 14 billion Guinean francs, i.e., about $3 million 
USD.  The Prime Minister emphasized that the elections 
were the GoG?s absolute top priority, by direct order of 
President Conte.  The PM added that he was personally 
involving himself in the process and would be meeting 
with the MATAP and CENI daily to ensure implementation. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) However, the Finance Minister said that without 
some extraordinary revenue receipts in December, the GoG 
would not be able to financially commit to several 
crucial steps scheduled in the coming weeks.  The PM 
hinted pointedly several times that he was hoping for 
some donors to step forward with additional resources; 
none of the diplomatic representatives indicated that 
they would.  At one point, the UN coordinator suggested 
that they knock on other doors, such as Canada, pointing 
out that many donors were not represented at the meeting. 
The EU representative confirmed the EU?s ?political 
promise? to fill the 2009 gap, with some 6 million euros, 
but said she did not have the means to disburse any of 
these funds in advance. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) After much discussion, the Prime Minister said 
that he would find a way to allow the Ministry of Finance 
 
CONAKRY 00000768  002 OF 002 
 
 
to make immediate commitments (thus booking the 
liability, despite lack of extraordinary receipts) for 
delivery of items that would not, in any event, require 
payments to be made until 2009. The CENI President, 
however, said that if the data operators and CARLES 
members were not paid in cash in December, implementation 
would be jeopardized. 
 
------------------------- 
NO QUESTION OF COMMITMENT 
------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The Prime Minister wrapped up the meeting by 
asking if anyone in the room had any doubt over the GoG?s 
commitment to and prioritization of these elections.  The 
EU and France spoke up, saying that while they were 
encouraged by the effort, it was important that the 
finance law be respected.  The Finance Minister, at the 
PM?s request, went to pains to assure everyone that, 
whatever they did, it would be legal. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) As has been the case with similar GoG elections 
meetings, the December 12 meeting was poorly organized 
and raised a number of concerns within the donor 
community.  Despite the GoG?s repeated assurances of its 
commitment to elections in the near term, issues raised 
during the meeting suggest that there are still several 
challenges to be overcome.  The PM put on a good show of 
intent, and the gathered GoG representatives seemed 
sincere in their intent to hold to the May 31 date, 
provided the funding can be assured.  However, financing 
continues to be a major stumbling block. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) PM Souare seemed uncharacteristically forceful 
throughout the meeting, often interrupting his Ministers 
and at one point pointedly denying permission for the 
Minister of Territorial Administration to begin speaking, 
after hearing the perfunctory ?with your permission Mr. 
Prime Minister.?  He seems to have grown a bit more 
comfortable in his leadership shoes over the last several 
months.  END COMMENT. 
 
RASPOLIC