US embassy cable - 04ABUJA1807

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 001807 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/22/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PBTS, CM, NI 
SUBJECT: MIXED COMMISSION PUNTS BAKASSI TO PRESIDENTS, UNSYG 
 
REF: ABUJA 1657 AND 1648 
 
Classified By: A/DCM Claudia Anyaso for Reasons 1.5 (B & D). 
 
1. (C/NF) The Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission met October 
21-22 in Abuja, and after deliberation on Bakassi "decided to 
refer the matter to the Heads of State of Cameroon and 
Nigeria and the Secretary-General of the United Nations." 
The Mixed Commission had scheduled this session to last only 
two days, and most of that in plenary sessions hearing 
reports on the Lake Chad area.  UNSRSG Ould-Abdallah told the 
October 21 opening Plenary, attended by PolCouns, that he had 
received positions on the maritime boundary issues from the 
Nigeria and Cameroon delegations, and that he had given each 
to the other and asked for reactions during the session. 
Apparently the delegations gave him no responses, nor did 
they work out any methodology for the maritime boundaries 
issue during this short session, because Ould-Abdallah ended 
the session saying he awaits their respective reactions by 
November 15, 2004. 
 
2. (C/NF) Ould-Abdallah told poloff October 22 after the 
Mixed Commission session that Cameroon's President Biya 
wished to meet with Nigeria's President Obasanjo and UNSYG 
Annan in Geneva.  No date set.  Ould-Abdallah said he would 
like to see more pressure on both sides for compliance, and 
that he had asked the Cameroonians to make an effort to tone 
down their public and private rhetoric in order to make 
progress on the substantive issues.  Ould-Abdallah opined 
that the Cameroon delegation did not seem to be on the same 
page as President Biya. 
 
3. (C/NF) Ould-Abdallah told PolCouns on October 4, and 
poloff on October 22 after the Mixed Committee session, that 
he speculated that the Nigerian military wanted either: 
 
-- a better share for Nigeria of the oil-rich maritime areas 
past the 15 nautical miles delineated in the ICJ ruling; 
 
OR 
 
-- a long-term lease for an enclave on part of Bakassi. 
 
Ould-Abdallah characterized the latter enclave as a place 
where Nigerians on Bakassi "could live under Nigerian rule 
like Americans do in Guantanamo."  He did not have proposals 
from Nigeria for either of the above.  Ould-Abdallah added 
that he thought the Nigerian military might be balking for 
patriotic reasons instead of for money. 
 
4. (C/NF) Comment:  Obasanjo has long said the maritime 
boundaries and Bakassi will be solved by the two presidents 
(reftels), and Ould-Abdallah now says Biya wants to meet. 
Whether or not such a meeting is advisable or occurs, there 
will be little done at the next Mixed Commission session set 
for December 7-8 or 7-9 if so much of its short time is 
scheduled for hearing reports on past work in plenary, and so 
little is devoted to working out the outstanding issues. 
CAMPBELL