VZCZCXRO1118
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHRY #0117/01 0541605
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 231605Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY CONAKRY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4495
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 CONAKRY 000117 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC GV
SUBJECT: ICG MEETING FOCUSES ON ELECTIONS 
 
REF: A. CONAKRY 000057 
     ¶B. 09 CONAKRY 000470 
     ¶C. 09 CONAKRY 000559 
     ¶D. CONAKRY 000088 
     ¶E. ADDIS ABABA 000128 
 
¶1.  (U) The 11th International Contact Group (ICG-G) meeting 
was held in Conakry on February 22, 2010. The meeting, 
co-chaired by outgoing and incoming ECOWAS presidents Ibn 
Chambas and Ibrahima Fall, was the first ICG-G to be held in 
Conakry since September, 2009. The conference saw 
presentations by Prime Minister Jean Marie Dore, Transition 
President Sekouba Konate, and other key players. The ICG-G 
issued a final communique that reiterated its support for 
Security Sector Reform (SSR) programming and called for all 
interested parties to adhere to the Ouagadougou Accords by 
holding free and transparent elections by the end of June, 
¶2010. END SUMMARY. 
 
 
------------------------- 
DORE WAFFLES ON CANDIDACY 
------------------------- 
 
 
¶2. (U) Prime Minister Dore promised the ICG-G that his 
government will uphold the stipulations of the Ouagadougou 
Accords and lead the country to free and fair elections by 
the end of June, 2010. Dore emphasized that international 
support and aid for SSR and elections is imperative to the 
success of the transition. He also argued that Guinea could 
not hold transparent elections without also reforming the 
justice system - stating that CNDD member and Minister of 
Justice Siba Lohalemou will be key in strengthening the 
justice system before elections. 
 
 
¶3. (U) Concerning elections, Dore said that the GOG has not 
yet decided in what order to hold legislative and 
presidential elections. However, he believes that political 
and civil society leaders are leaning toward holding 
presidential elections first. (NOTE: The Forces Vives will be 
meeting today to officially decide on this issue. END NOTE.) 
He pleaded with the ICG-G to lift all sanctions imposed after 
the coup d'etat and the September 28 violence, arguing that 
Guinea is now entering a phase that no longer warrants such 
sanctions. Finally, Dore recommended that the ICG-G open 
dialogue with the pro-Dadis political groups such as the 
pro-CNDD ANC and Patriotic Block, to which the ICG-G agreed. 
 
 
¶4. (U) Dore also told the ICG-G that Guineans abroad should 
be registered and counted in the upcoming elections. Among 
other propositions, Dore said that his government would 
attempt to "reform the State" by removing CNDD appointed 
military officers from traditionally civilian offices such as 
Prefect and Governor. Dore did not answer pointed questions 
about his possible candidacy in upcoming presidential 
elections, replying coyly "I will respect the terms of the 
Ouagadougou Accords as long as all others respect them." Dore 
charged the international community with financially 
supporting elections in order to ensure that the stipulations 
of the Ouagadougou Accords are upheld. 
 
 
-------------------------------- 
CNT WILL IMPLEMENT OUAGA ACCORDS 
-------------------------------- 
 
 
¶5. (U) In her capacity as National Transition Council (CNT) 
President, Rabiatou Diallo said that the Council would have a 
specific mandate to ensure the Ouagadougou Accords are 
implemented during the transition. Specifically, Rabiatou 
said that the CNT would examine Guinean law as well as advise 
and support CENI election preparations. While a CNT budget 
has not been approved, Rabiatou envisions that the Council 
will have sufficient funding to effectively complete their 
mandate. Rabiatou told the ICG-G that she hopes to appoint 
the required 101 CNT members by Friday, at the latest, 
allowing the CNT to finish its work by the end of June. 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
CENI/MATAP DISCUSS GUINEANS ABROAD AND BUDGET GAP 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
 
¶6. (U) In their presentation to the ICG-G, National Election 
 
CONAKRY 00000117  002 OF 003 
 
 
Commission (CENI) President Ben Sekou Sylla and Minister of 
Territorial Administration and Political Affairs (MATAP) Nawa 
Damey agreed that elections will be technically possible by 
June (reftel A). However, they warned that the inclusion of 
Guineans abroad into the election registration process would 
add three additional months to the election timeline. Sylla 
and Damey also said that the CENI needs only $1.5 million in 
election funding from the international community in order to 
complete election preparations. (NOTE: Immediately after this 
announcement, to great acclaim by the group, Nigeria verbally 
pledged $1 million USD in contributions for elections within 
seven days. END NOTE.) 
 
 
------------------------------------------ 
FORCES VIVES OUTLINES HOPES FOR TRANSITION 
------------------------------------------ 
 
 
¶7. (U) Francois Fall, Spokesperson of the Forces Vives, 
outlined the organization's vision for ICG-G participation 
during the transition including: 1) Encouraging Burkinabe 
President Blaise Compaore and Konate to sign the Forces Vives 
drafted "charter for transition," 2) financially and 
technically supporting the CENI, 3) supporting SSR efforts, 
4) calling for the removal of restrictions on political 
activity, and 5) applying pressure on the GOG to annul the 
CNDD-China International Fund (CIF) agreement, claiming that 
its implementation would be "catastrophic for Guinea's 
economic future" (reftels B & C). (NOTE: The Ambassador to 
China subsequently announced that his government had nothing 
to do with the CIF deal and that Guinea, as a sovereign 
state, could cancel any contract they deemed necessary. END 
NOTE.) 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
PATRIOTIC BLOCK AND ANC PRESENT TO ICG-G, GEN CISSE OUTLINES 
SSR PLAN 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
 
¶8. (U) The Patriotic Block and the National Alliance for 
Renewal (ANC), two pro-Dadis political and civil society 
groups formed as offshoots of the Forces Vives, asked to be 
included in all upcoming ICG-G meetings. The groups' 
representatives argued that while they may be pro-CNDD, their 
opinion can be helpful in democratically informing ICG-G 
decisions. 
 
 
¶9. (U) General Cisse, the leader of the UN-ECOWAS SSR team, 
explained his plan for SSR to the ICG-G. Although he gave few 
additional details about the mission than EmbOffs received in 
a Feb 4 meeting with UN-ECOWAS SSR team representatives 
(reftel D), this was the first occasion in which Cisse 
explained the plan in a large group, projecting the 
completion of the assessment study by the end of April, 2010. 
 
 
------------------------------------------- 
KONATE PROMISES TO ALLOW POLITICAL ACTIVITY 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
 
¶10. (U) In a closed meeting with ICG-G Ambassadors, Konate 
reiterated his commitment to holding elections by the end of 
June, 2010. He also asked the Ambassadors to make tangible 
pledges of support to reforming Guinea's security sector. He 
assured the international community that the media, civil 
society, and political leaders would be permitted free speech 
during the transition. He specifically noted that political 
activity would not be hindered by the transition government. 
 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
 
¶11. (SBU) The ICG-G meeting focused on elections and SSR 
efforts in Guinea. Although presenters and ICG-G members 
cited several challenges to implementing the transition, the 
mood was over all congratulatory and optimistic. Unlike the 
10th ICG-G meeting in Addis Ababa (reftel E), the group 
focused mainly on the prospect for elections at the end of 
June rather than potential security concerns. With the new 
government in place, the ICG-G is reorienting to push the 
government to implement important election measures and 
 
CONAKRY 00000117  003 OF 003 
 
 
prepare for comprehensive SSR. 
 
 
12.(SBU) Just as the ICG-G member countries were generally 
unified in their stance, representatives from the GOG, 
political groups, and civil society were all on point with 
pushing elections forward, disagreeing only over the order of 
the presidential and legislative elections and the 
registering of Guineans abroad. Worth noting, the number of 
Guinean soldiers in red berets and sunglasses, the typical 
uniform of the CNDD period, was almost nil. During the Konate 
meeting only two were present although some Presidential 
Guard will still in the background. 
 
 
¶13. (U) The next ICG-G meeting is scheduled to take place in 
Conakry during the first week of April. The official 
communique will be transmitted to AF/W via email. 
Moller