US embassy cable - 01ABUJA1861

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 001861 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/26/2011 
TAGS: PREL, AS, ZI, CA, UK, SF, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: CANADIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER ON ZIMBABWE 
AND THE COMMONWEALTH AND POST-G-8 SUMMIT PLANS BY NIGERIA 
 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador Howard F. Jeter; Reasons 1.5 (b) 
and (d). 
 
 
1. (SBU) Canadian High Commissioner Ian Ferguson called the 
Ambassador on July 26 to fill him in on information he had 
picked up during the High Commissioner's farewell calls, 
including on President Obasanjo.  Ferguson said he thought 
the U.S. would be particularly interested in what he had 
learned regarding Zimbabwe and the Commonwealth and on 
Nigeria's post-G-8 Summit intentions. 
 
 
2. (C) Ferguson said that Nigeria was trying to revive the 
idea of establishing a small group meeting of Commonwealth 
countries to try to find a solution to the problems in 
Zimbabwe.  Nigeria's hope was that the group could meet in 
August.  The meeting would be ad hoc, and would include the 
UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria as 
the Chair.  According to Ferguson, the UK has not yet agreed 
to the meeting, and has asked Nigeria for clarification on 
the terms of reference.  The meeting was being planned in 
preparation for the Commonwealth Summit in Australia October 
6-10. 
 
 
3. (C) Ferguson also said that he and Obasanjo had discussed 
the G-8 Summit in Genoa.  Obasanjo gave the impression of 
being very engaged on post-G-8 Summit planning.  To that end, 
Obasanjo plans to Chair an Africa Group meeting of senior 
African leaders that will include Millennium Action Plan 
(MAP) partners South Africa and Algeria, and fifteen other 
African countries to meet in Dakar to discuss the Genoa 
Summit and Africa's future engagement with the G-8.  Ferguson 
said that it was his impression that Obasanjo's taking the 
lead on this initiative had been worked out with Mbeki so as 
to avoid any competition between Nigeria and South Africa. 
Jeter