US embassy cable - 04MADRID825

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 000825 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, SP, EK 
SUBJECT: EQUATORIAL GUINEA: SPANISH MFA ON ALLEGED COUP 
PLOT AND INSTABILITY 
 
Classified By: Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Polcouns, per 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
Summary 
 
1.  (C) President Obiang has demanded that Spain extradite to 
Equatorial Guinea a political opponent who resides in Madrid, 
Severo Moto, accused of sponsoring an alleged coup plot 
uncovered this week.   MFA has received no official request, 
and would not transfer Moto if one were received.    MFA 
regards EG as being in a period of heightened instability, 
with Obiang lashing out at his inner circle as well as the 
opposition.   End Summary. 
 
No Formal Extradition Request Received 
 
2.  (C) The Spanish MFA has received no formal request from 
the Government of Equatorial Guinea for the extradition of EG 
opposition politician Severo Moto, who resides in Madrid and 
heads a self-proclaimed EG government in exile.   FM Palacio 
said this publicly on March 9.    Ildefonso Castro, Chief of 
Staff to MFA Secretary of State Gil Casares, confirmed this 
to us March 10.   The EG government claims that Moto was 
behind an alleged coup plot involving hiring mercenaries to 
overthrow Obiang and kill his ministers.    However, the only 
EG request for extradition of Moto thus far has come from a 
radio address from President Obiang in which he called on 
Spain to extradite Moto to EG or risk harm to relations. 
Obiang said that "Spain must decide it is with Moto or with 
Guinea." 
 
GOS Would Not Turn Over Moto 
 
3.  (C) Castro noted that the GOS response, as FM Palacio has 
told the media, is that an extradition has to go through 
judicial channels.   Castro noted that only if the judiciary 
were favorable would there be a political decision.   He did 
not envision any circumstance under which the GOS would turn 
Moto over to the Obiang government, since Moto would not face 
a fair trial.   Moto, in comments to the Spanish media, 
roundly denied any involvement in the plot and claimed it was 
all an Obiang stunt to discredit the opposition.   Moto said 
that "it is Obiang's modus operandi: he is able to kill 
people and then to blame us for it." 
 
Conspiracy Theories 
 
4.  (C) Castro said it was unclear if the coup plot 
allegations had validity.    He said that the items taken off 
the plane in Zimbabwe, where 64 supposed coup plotters were 
intercepted, were not military supplies.   He also doubted 
that such a small number of mercenaries, plus a supposed 15 
others on the ground in EG, were credible as a coup force. 
Castro noted that the plane detained in Zimbabwe came from 
South Africa, where Obiang recently went on private travel. 
Speaking personally, Castro speculated that it is possible 
that during his stay in South Africa, Obiang may have 
arranged to stage the incident. 
 
5.  (U) In comments to the media March 9, FM Palacio 
distanced Spain from the alleged plot.   She said that "From 
Spain, we can only say that we have warm relations with 
Guinea and we support constitutional democratic regimes and 
condemn any attempt to end the democratic order." 
 
A Highly Unstable Situation 
 
6.  (C)  Castro views the situation in EG as highly unstable. 
 This instability permeates even to Obiang's innermost 
circle.   Castro recounted how in December 2003 Obiang 
arrested his cousin, Gen. Agustin Ndong, a top associate, for 
allegedly plotting against him.  Castro said that over a 
hundred other suspects were rounded up in conjunction with 
Ndong's arrest, most from Obiang's own tribe.   (Castro noted 
that Ndong is now in Spain (Las Palmas, Canaries) for medical 
treatment after two suicide attempts; the most recent one 
involved drinking poison which caused severe internal burns.) 
   Castro added that on March 6 the chief of security for the 
continental region of EG, Nguema Eye (as heard), who was in 
Obiang's inner circle, died in a traffic accident under 
mysterious circumstances.   Spanish MFA observers suspect 
that Nguema may have been killed, possibly on Obiang's order. 
 
7.  (C)  Castro concluded by noting that EG's territorial 
dispute with Gabon, which affects oil concessions, further 
adds to the instability.   It was unclear, he said, what 
France's role in this is.    (Spanish media speculate that 
France and/or French oil interests may be working to 
overthrow Obiang.) 
ARGYROS