US embassy cable - 02ABUJA1192

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 001192 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
AF/W FOR BOOTH, FRENCH 
AF/RAS FOR ENGLE, BITTRICK 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/12/2012 
TAGS: PREL, MASS, MARR, XY, NI, ECOWAS 
SUBJECT: ECOWAS: POSITIVE REACTIONS TO WASP 
 
 
REF: ABUJA 1185 
 
 
Classified by CDA ANDREWS; Reason 1.5 (b). 
 
 
1. (U) During April 12 discussions on plans for future peace 
support programs for Africa (reftel), AF/RAS Greg Engle 
briefed ECOWAS Deputy Executive Secretary Chiekh Diarra and 
his staff on the West African Stabilization Program (WASP). 
Diarra's office at the Secretariat now includes Military 
Program Officer Colonel Dixon Dikio, Director for Child 
Protection Programs Ibrahim Diouf, Operations Center Director 
Florence Iheme, and Political Affairs Advisor Frank 
Afanyiarossou.  Diarra said he would finish hiring six 
additional senior directors by the end of May, and planned to 
have other professional staff hired shortly thereafter. 
 
 
2. (U) Engle briefed on the ECOWAS/GOSL logistics training 
depot (to be located in Freetown), the EUCOM-led C3 
assistance for the ECOWAS Operations Center (based in the 
Secretariat), the possibility of a regional NCO training 
 
SIPDIS 
center initiative and other bilateral assistance that could 
have positive impact both for sub-regional bilateral partners 
as well as ECOWAS (including MTTs).  Diarra responded very 
positively to the plans. 
 
 
3. (C) Diarra and Dikio expressed concerns regarding the 
placement of the depot in Freetown.  While accepting that the 
USG was responding to a window of opportunity (since the 
equipment is already in Freetown), they wondered about 
possible support for the ECOWAS equipment based presently in 
Lagos, and the impact of possible instability in Sierra 
Leone.  Dikio also noted that it was extremely important that 
the transfer of ownership of the depot and equipment be made 
extremely clear through written agreement among the parties, 
to prevent any disagreements between the USG, ECOWAS and the 
GOSL as to the ownership of the equipment and facilities. 
The visiting team and ECOWAS officials were satisfied that 
these issues could be resolved. 
 
 
4. (U) Diarra said he would raise the WASP plans at the next 
meeting of the ECOWAS Defense and Security Committee (ECOWAS 
Chiefs of Defense Staff) in May, to build the necessary 
member-state understanding and support for the program.  He 
noted that this meeting would also consider a training policy 
for the ECOWAS peacekeeping stand-by units. 
 
 
5. (C) COMMENT: Dikio's concern regarding ownership is 
understandable.  We will need to make these modalities very 
clear, or an excellent program of support could quickly turn 
into a disagreement between the organization and one of its 
member-states.  The Secretariat will likely need to present 
the logistical depot plan and other WASP items to the 
member-states on a political level to ensure the needed 
acceptance and support for these programs.  However, an 
important first step -- obtaining the ECOWAS Secretariat's 
buy-in -- has been accomplished.  END COMMENT. 
Andrews