US embassy cable - 04ABUJA312

S E C R E T ABUJA 000312 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PREL, IO, LI, SL, NI 
SUBJECT: SHARING INFO ON CHARLES TAYLOR'S ACTIVITIES IN 
CALABAR 
 
REF: STATE 11217 
 
Classified By: CDA RICK L ROBERTS FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
1.  (S/NF) February 23, CDA delivered reftel demarche on 
Charles Taylor's continuing efforts to influence events in 
Liberia to Minister of Foreign Affairs Olu Adeniji.  Adeniji 
reiterated the GON's commitment to preventing Taylor from 
influencing events in Liberia, noting that the GON had warned 
Taylor on several occasions not to meddle in Liberian 
affairs. While Adeniji expressed concern over the 
difficulties inherent in trying to monitor Taylor's cellular 
and satellite phone conversations, he believed the GON had 
Taylor's activities under control and that he did not at the 
moment represent a significant threat to Liberian stability. 
 
2.  (S/NF) Overall, Adeniji seemed nonplused by the 
information on Taylor's recent activities provided in reftel. 
 Reminding us that he had heard similar warnings of the dire 
threat posed by Sam Bouake when he was in Sierra Leone in the 
early 1990s, Adeniji commented that even the best 
intelligence "can be exaggerated."  Adeniji went on to say 
that it was hard to believe Taylor was financing his 
loyalists in Liberia when his cash reserves have been so 
depleted that he recently considered selling his personal 
jet.  Finally, Adeniji commented that he had been in contact 
with Liberian interim leader Gyude Bryant and had not heard 
any complaints about Taylor's influence from him.  Adeniji 
said he would raise the issue when he sees Bryant at the 
upcoming AU conference in Libya. 
 
3.  (S/NF) COMMENT: We have raised the issue of Taylor's 
influence in Liberia on multiple occasions over the last 
several months, and have been met with the same GON response 
each time.  The GON is certainly aware of Taylor's meetings 
with Salame in Calabar and contacts with his loyalists in 
Liberia.  Nigerian troops are deployed to UNMIL's 
peacekeeping mission in Liberia, giving the GON every reason 
to clamp down on Taylor's activities if it thought he was a 
significant threat.  With the GON not believing Taylor is a 
major threat to Liberia from Calabar, a stronger and probably 
different case will have to be made to the Nigerians to get 
them to take action against him.  END COMMENT. 
ROBERTS