US embassy cable - 05ACCRA549

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ACCRA 000549 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2015 
TAGS: GH, LI, OPDC, PHUM, PREL, TO 
SUBJECT: GHANA'S RESPONSE TO SECRETARY RICE'S ECOWAS MESSAGE 
 
REF: STATE 45504 
 
Classified By: POL CHIEF SCOTT TICKNOR FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D. 
 
1.  (C)  Summary:  D.K. Osei, Secretary to the President, 
told Emboffs that Ghana would support the U.S. on bringing 
Charles Taylor to justice, as addressed in Secretary Rice's 
recent letter to President Kufuor.  However, the support 
"would not be very loud."  The GOG is concerned that seeking 
justice for Taylor before conditions are sufficiently stable 
in Liberia could do more harm than good.  Foreign Minister 
Akufo Addo will attend the March 21 Stockholm meeting.  On 
Togo, President Kufuor quietly pressed Gnassingbe to step 
down and is working behind the scenes to ensure Togo remains 
on a stable, democratic path, according to the President's 
Chief of Staff.  End summary. 
 
 
Quiet Support On Charles Taylor 
------------------------------- 
 
2.  (C)  On March 15, post delivered a letter with reftel 
message from Secretary Rice to President Kufuor, with a copy 
to Foreign Minister Nana Akufo Addo.  Ambassador followed up 
with calls to the Foreign Minister and President's Office. 
Ambassador D.K. Osei, Secretary to the President, said he 
needed to consult the Foreign Minister, who was currently 
traveling and would be attending the March 21 Stockholm 
meeting on Liberia and the Mano River Union.  PolChief and 
EconChief followed up with a March 17 meeting with Osei, who 
said that Ghana would support the U.S. on bringing Charles 
Taylor to justice, and that President Kufuor would clearly 
indicate so in a written response to Secretary Rice's letter. 
 Osei said he would draft the response letter but hold it for 
the Foreign Minister to review upon his return from 
Stockholm. (Post will not receive it until after the 
Stockholm meeting.) 
 
3.  (C) Osei was clear, however, that Ghana's support on 
bringing Charles Taylor to justice "would not be very loud", 
and the GOG would not want to make speeches supporting this 
position.  Ghana believes in principle that Taylor should and 
will face justice eventually, Osei explained.  However, the 
timing of the justice process is critical.  Liberia is still 
highly unstable, with many of Taylor's armed supporters still 
in a position to cause trouble.  At least now, Taylor cannot 
directly influence Liberian politics.  Bringing Taylor to 
court too early could do more harm than good in Liberia, Osei 
said.   He also noted that Ghana, as then-ECOWAS Chair, had 
to agree to many deals to get Taylor to step down.  Reneging 
on these deals could prejudice future such efforts. 
 
Quiet Pressure on Togo 
---------------------- 
 
4.  (C)  In a March 17 meeting with PolChief and EconChief, 
Presidential Chief of Staff Kwadwo Mpiani described Ghana's 
approach to the Togo crisis as "delicate" because of Ghana's 
shared border, ethnicities, and security concerns.  "Half of 
Lome is in Ghana," he remarked.  Ghana supported ECOWAS but 
had to deal with some issues quietly. President Kufuor has 
played a role behind the scenes in convincing Gnassingbe to 
"do what's right" in Togo, according to Mpiani.  Gnassingbe 
listens to Kufuor "like a father", which is an important 
reason why Togo has remained calm, Mpiani said.  Mpiani hoped 
Togo would have a successful, free and fair election, and 
hoped the U.S. would support with election observers. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
5.  (C)  On both Liberia and Togo, President Kufuor appears 
cautious and pragmatic, preferring quiet diplomacy aimed at 
keeping the neighborhood stable.  Osei has the President's 
ear on many issues and appeared open and candid about Ghana's 
nuanced position on the Taylor issue.  It is not clear 
whether he had had a conversation with the Foreign Minister 
about Secretary Rice's letter, although he said the Minister 
would deliver the message Osei shared with us to the US 
delegation if they have an opportunity to talk in Stockholm. 
 
 
YATES 
 
 
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