US embassy cable - 04ACCRA2240

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 002240 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR AF/W MICHAEL ARIETTI, GHANA DESK OFFICER LARRY JOHNSTON, 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/11/2024 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, GH 
SUBJECT: GHANA PRESIDENT ON COTE D'IVOIRE 
 
REF: YATES/ARIETTI PHONE CON 11/11/2004 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR MARY C. YATES FOR REASONS 1.5 (A),(D) 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  President Kufuor told the Ambassador 
November 11 that he would attend the emergency meeting in 
Abuja on November 14 as part of South African President 
Mbeki's diplomatic initiative to address the Cote d'Ivoirian 
crisis. President Gbagbo will be invited but may or may not 
attend. Kufuor thinks Gbagbo may be more flexible because of 
the changed situation with the French on the ground. Kufuor 
believes President Gbagbo should still implement Linas 
Marcoussis agreement and that Gbagbo must force his 
parliament to act. He opined that all current key Ivoirian 
leaders should not be allowed to run for election and that 
new leaders should be given a chance. The killing of the 
French military gave the French the "pretext" to take actions 
protecting their citizens and their businesses, but Kufuor 
was not critical of the French.  End Summary 
 
2.  (S)  Ambassador met with Ghanaian President John A. 
Kufuor, along with CJA, Chief of African Division,for 40 
minutes on November 11. The ambassador used the opportunity 
to query the president about the current deteriorating 
situation in Cote d'Ivoire and possible regional initiatives 
to address the crisis.(Subject of Reftelcon) Kufuor first 
spoke at some length about the generic insecurity problems in 
West Africa and the destabilization of outside mercenary 
forces. Specifically, Kufuor said that in connection with 
South African President Mbeki's current diplomatic 
initiative, that he had just been invited by President 
Obasango to a meeting in Abuja scheduled for a two hour 
duration at the airport on Sunday, November 14 and that he 
would attend. He was aware that President Mbeki of South 
Africa, President Wade, and probably the presidents of 
Burkina Faso and Mali would attend.  President Gbagbo would 
be invited and be urged to attend, but Kufuor was not fully 
confident Gbagbo would attend. (Subsequent press reports 
report Libya's Khadafi will also be invited.) It was not 
clear whether other Ivoirian leaders would be invited to this 
meeting, but Kufuor said he understood that Ouattara and Soro 
may not have travelled to South Africa to meet with Mbeki 
11/11 as previously planned. 
 
3  (C) When asked what hope was held for this diplomatic 
initiative after Gbagbo's failure to advance Accra III 
promises, President Kufuor said Gbagbo was in a more 
difficult and insecure situation because of recent events 
which might make him more receptive to a diplomatic 
initiative than he was during Accra III. He said Gbagbo must 
take "the bull by the horns" and stop using the parliament as 
an excuse. He must tell the parliament they have to pass the 
legislation which implements the Linas Marcoussis agreement 
and moves the election calendar forward for all parties. He 
must lead, said Kufuor. Kufuor also opined that the entry of 
French had changed the situation since the Accra III talks, 
and should also change Gbagbo's stance. 
 
4. (C) On the political scene, Kufuor repeated several times 
that it was a "freak" that Gbagbo had ended up as the 
President of Cote d'Ivoire since he had always just been a 
minor opposition leader even during President 
Houphouet-Boigny's time.  Since Gbagbo did not represent 
either of the two major parties in the country during any 
normal election, he should never have ended up with the 
position. Since happenstance gave Gbagbo this position, 
instead of trying to cling on to power, Gbagbo should 
contemplate his leadership of an entire nation and his 
legacy. Kufuor said emphatically and repeatedly that all 
current leaders in Cote d'Ivoire (Gbagbo, Ouattara, Bedie, 
and Soro) must give way to new, younger leaders in their 
parties. None of them should be allowed to run in the 
election because none of them can unify and lead the entire 
nation. 
 
5. (C)  On the French intervention, Kufuor said that the 
killing of the French soldiers by the Cote d'Ivorian military 
gave the French the "pretext" they needed to move in and 
protect their citizens and their businesses. Kufuor was not 
critical of the French and quite realistic about their 
current role as contributing to the stability both of their 
citizens, other foreigners and the French and international 
businesses. He even suggested they could play a constructive 
role in getting CI through the next free and fair national 
election, but needed to know when to leave so not to be seen 
as a occupying force. 
 
6. (C)  Comment:  Despite Kufuor's reference to Gbagbo as his 
brother, there was clear frustration at Gbagbo's lack of 
comprehension of the seriousness of his situation, and 
inability to provide the nation leadership. The Ambassador 
thanked Kufuor for taking time out of his final weeks of 
campaigning to go to Abuja this Sunday. (The president is 
currently on the campaign trail in the interior about five 
out of seven days.)  Kufuor admitted that after all the 
efforts at Accra III, he just felt he had to step back and 
take care of his own country. He seemed relieved that 
President Mbeki had stepped in to play a leadership role. 
YATES