VZCZCXRO4768
PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHUJA #1993/01 3031427
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 301427Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7368
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 2108
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE PRIORITY 1048
RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS PRIORITY 2198
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001993 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/W (DENNISON), AF/RSA, INR/AA, INL/AAE; 
ADDIS ABABA FOR U.S. MISSION TO AU 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/14/2019 
TAGS: PREL PGOV GB NG NI
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO AFRICA UNION PEACE AND SECURITY 
COUNCIL ON NIGER 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 110957 
     ¶B. AMB SANDERS - DAS FITZGERALD E-MAIL OCT 29 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor James P. McAnulty 
for reasons in Sections 1.4. (B) and (D) 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) Ambassador delivered demarche on Niger to Africa 
Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) Chairperson Dr. 
Jean Ping October 29 on the margins of the PSC Summit in 
Abuja, encouraging the AU to follow up the Economic Community 
of West African States (ECOWAS) in suspending Niger.  Ping 
said AU statutes did not allow for suspension unless a coup 
actually occurred.  He noted that he would prepare his report 
on Niger within a month, as called for by the PSC, after 
which AU members would decide on next steps.  Separately, 
PolCouns delivered demarche October 30 to Nigerian Foreign 
Ministry (MFA) Acting Director for North and Central America 
Rabia Shehu October 30, who promised to pass along our appeal 
to his counterpart in the MFA Department of West African 
Affairs.  END SUMMARY. 
 
----------------------------------- 
AU ENDORSES ECOWAS ACTIONS ON NIGER 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Ambassador, accompanied by PolOff (note-taker) raised 
points on Niger (ref A) with AU PSC Chairperson Ping (ref B), 
whom she knew from her tenure at NSC when Ping served as 
Gabon's Foreign Minister.  Ping described the statement of 
support for ECOWAS actions from the PSC communique (see text 
in paragraph 5) as a "de facto" endorsement of ECOWAS' 
position.  When pressed on possible Niger suspension, Ping 
noted that the AU had no mechanism to suspend or expel member 
states, except for unconstitutional changes of government, 
such as through coups.  Unlike in ECOWAS, the AU could not 
suspend governments that sought to extend their mandates via 
unconstitutional means.  Ping's AU legal experts, present at 
the discussion, confirmed this was the case.  Ping said he 
would prepare his report on Niger within one month, as 
directed by the PSC, after which AU members would decide on 
future actions. 
 
---------------------------- 
GON CONTINUES TO PRESS NIGER 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) PolCouns met with MFA Acting Director for North and 
Central America Shehu October 30 to discuss Niger.  Shehu 
informed PolCouns that ECOWAS President Dr. Mohamed Ibn 
Chambas had appealed to the PSC meeting the previous day to 
endorse ECOWAS suspension of Niger, which, in Shehu's view, 
would have amounted to the "same action."  He remarked that 
the AU usually followed the consensus of regional sub-groups, 
including ECOWAS.  While acknowledging that he was not the 
Ministry's expert on AU issues, he did not rule out future AU 
consideration of possible suspension. (Separately, Chambas 
told the Ambassador after the October 29 PSC session that 
this issue would be a challenge for the AU, given that it 
does not have the same mandate.)  Shehu drew a distinction 
between Niger, where an elected government tried to extend 
its rule through undemocratic means, and Guinea, where the 
Qits rule through undemocratic means, and Guinea, where the 
military assumed power by force and violated human rights. 
He promised to pass along our non-paper on Niger to the MFA 
Director for West African Affairs. 
 
¶4. (C) Shehu added that his government did not rely solely on 
AU and ECOWAS efforts, assuring PolCouns that the GON 
continued to press Niger to "see reason" and "retrace" its 
steps regarding the extension of its mandate.  He noted that, 
as part of such efforts, President Yar'Adua had sent both 
former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar (twice) and MFA 
Minister of State Bagudu Hirse to Niger, as personal envoys. 
Shehu emphasized the importance of maintaining stability and 
 
ABUJA 00001993  002 OF 002 
 
 
democratic processes in Niger and other neighboring states. 
 
-------------- 
PSC COMMUNIQUE 
-------------- 
 
¶5. (U) The text of the October 29 PSC communique follows: 
 
Begin Text: 
 
Communique of the 207th Meeting of the Peace and Security 
Council 
 
The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at 
its 207th meeting held in Abuja, Nigeria, at the level of 
Heads of State and Government, on 29 October 2009, adopted 
the following decision on the situation in the Republic of 
Niger: 
 
Council, 
 
(1) Takes not of the briefings by ECOWAS and the AU 
Commission on the latest developments in the situation in 
Niger; 
 
(2) Endorses the decisions on the situation in Niger adopted 
by the Extraordinary Summit of the Economic Community on West 
African States (ECOWAS) held in Abuja, on 17 October 2009, 
and commends the efforts deployed by ECOWAS towards finding a 
speedy and consensual solution to the crisis in Niger. 
Council also commends the initiatives taken by the 
Chairperson of the Commission to help resolve the crisis; 
 
(3) Requests the Chairperson of the Commission to intensify 
his efforts and to continue to work with ECOWAS to facilitate 
the speedy resolution of the crisis in Niger and the 
democratic functioning of the institutions of the country, 
with the participation and support of all political forces of 
Niger; 
 
(4) Further requests the Chairperson of the Commission to 
report to it, within a month, on developments in Niger and 
the outcome of his efforts and those of ECOWAS. 
 
(5) Decides to remain seized of the matter. 
 
End Text. 
 
 
SANDERS