US embassy cable - 01ABUJA3193

S E C R E T ABUJA 003193 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR AF, AF/W, AF/RA 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/13/2011 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, MARR, MOPS, BE, BY, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: DEMARCHE ON BURUNDI DEPLOYMENT 
 
 
REF: A. STATE 210600 
     B. ABUJA 3039 
 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador Howard F. Jeter; Reasons 1.5 (b) 
and (d). 
 
 
1. (S) Post will raise points (Ref A) with the GON at the 
earliest appropriate opportunity.  However, Minister of State 
for Defense (Army) Lawal Batagarawa will be in Washington 
this week for meetings on the Hill and with the Department. 
Batagarawa, who attended preparatory meetings in Arusha and 
Pretoria, has been in charge of planning for the deployment. 
Batagarawa's presence in Washington provides an excellent 
opportunity for the Department to seek his perspective on the 
deployment, and to convey our understanding of the situation 
in Burundi. 
 
 
2. (S) While we should raise concern, we believe that it 
would be counter-productive to press the Nigerian Government 
not to deploy to Burundi.  We should not be seen as speaking 
for Burundi, or South Africa, for that matter.  In our view, 
the best tack to pursue would be for us to convey to 
Batagarawa an understanding that the South African contingent 
is currently under-employed and ask Batagarawa if Abuja has 
been in contact with Bujumbura about the deployment's timing. 
 Additionally, if Bujumbura does not want the Nigerian 
deployment at this time, it would seem more appropriate that 
the GOB directly communicate this preference to Pretoria and 
Abuja.  If we are the only ones carrying this message to the 
Nigerians, we will be seen as interlopers, and uninvited 
intruders, at that. 
 
 
3. (S) Finally, Department should be prepared for Batagarawa 
to raise his idea for a PKO deployment for debt swap 
arrangement (Ref B). 
Jeter