US embassy cable - 05ACCRA809

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ACCRA 000809 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2014 
TAGS: GH, PGOV, PHUM, PREL, TO 
SUBJECT: TOGO OPPOSITION LEADER HOPES FOR U.S./CANADA-LED 
DIALOGUE 
 
REF: ACCRA 787 
 
Classified By: PolChief Scott Ticknor for reasons 1.5 d and e. 
 
1.  (C)  Summary:  On April 28 evening, PolChief met with 
Togolese opposition leader Gilchrist Olympio in Accra. 
PolChief urged the opposition to publicly state a willingness 
to dialogue, to pursue legal channels of protest, and to 
publicly urge calm.  Olympio did not see much scope for an 
opposition call for dialogue or for recourse through the 
legal system, although he said he would consult with 
colleagues.  The military is the only institution that 
matters in a dialogue with the government.  He said he has 
been urging calm in his media comments.  He pressed hard for 
the United States, alone or together with Canada and possibly 
the European Union, to invite a dialogue of all the parties. 
Nigerian President Obasanjo would have to be invited to 
partQQQ0DM~---------------- 
 
2.  (SBU)  Olympio said a Radio France correspondent in Togo 
and some of his own supporters informed him that morning that 
they had seen 55 bodies in the Lome morgue, reportedly 
casualties of violence since election day.  They also 
reported indiscriminate shooting in Atakpame, resulting in 60 
deaths, and the military's use of helicopter gunships in 
Aneho, with 20 deaths.   He relayed reports of soldiers 
beating and whipping people and said security forces torched 
his cousin's house.  Polchief noted the USG's concerns about 
reports of violence. 
 
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PolChief Urges Dialogue and an End to Violence 
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3.  (C)  Drawing on guidance from the Department, PolChief 
told Olympio the USG was looking for a public statement from 
the opposition that it is prepared to enter into a dialogue 
with the leader of the RPT party in the best interests of 
Togo and the Togolese people.  This does not need to mention 
a dialogue with the President, PolChief said, but we would 
like people to know that a process of dialogue is in place. 
 
4.  (C)  Olympio discounted the relevance of the RPT, saying 
"the army is the only institution that matters -- everyone 
else are jokers, including me."  He would be willing to 
dialogue with the military and tried to engage Togolese 
Minister of Defense General Tidjani in the recent Abuja 
meeting with Faure Gnassingbe.  However, Tidjani responded 
"you can't finger the army", Obasanjo agreed, and there was 
no opening to engage the military.  Olympio concluded that 
the army does not really want a dialogue.  He said he would 
have to consult opposition colleagues about issuing a public 
statement, and would personally support a dialogue, but he 
thought it would only have meaning for the international 
community.  The Togolese people would see it as "hot 
air...they don't believe it's possible and won't follow." 
The opposition believes it won 85 percent of the total vote 
and is not willing to be a junior partner in a Gnassingbe-led 
government, he said. 
 
5.  (C)  PolChief forcefully stressed that the USG is looking 
to the opposition to make a public statement urging calm and 
discouraging violence.  This would help the situation on the 
ground and give the opposition more credibility in the 
international community, he said.  He noted that the 
opposition has support from the international community which 
it stands to lose with the kind of statement recently made by 
opposition candidate Akatani Bob encouraging violence. 
Olympio said he had been urging calm in his numerous media 
interviews over the past week but it hasn't had much impact. 
When pressed about his message, he said he had told the media 
"violence won't lead anywhere, there needs to be a peaceful 
solution."  He offered that Akitani and senior army officers 
might consider issuing a joint statement that "they won't 
kill anymore".  However, "the feeling is that after the death 
toll mounts people will pay attention," he said. 
 
6.  (C)  PolChief urged the opposition to channel protests 
through legal channels, not on the streets, adding that 
violence has not produced positive solutions for Togo in the 
past.  "All our institutions are blocked, where do you want 
us to go?", Olympio responded.  He detailed how CENI and the 
 
constitutional court are packed with Gnassingbe supporters. 
 
 
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Looking for U.S. Assistance 
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7.  (C)  Olympio wants the U.S., alone or with Canada and 
possibly the European Union, to invite the government and 
opposition to a dialogue.  Such a meeting should include 
Obasanjo and possibly some observers.  Akatini-Bob "doesn't 
want a civil war, but he's seeking an international rescue," 
Olympio said.  Olympio would participate in a such a 
dialogue, and he was certain that Faure would as well. 
"Faure wants to speak to me," he said, because he wants to 
draw the opposition into his government.  The meeting could 
take place anywhere - Olympio would travel to Lome if 
necessary.  His ideal outcome is an agreement to hold new 
elections in 4-6 months and support to reform the electoral 
institutions. 
 
8.  (C)  Olympio had strong words to say about France and 
ECOWAS.  He believed that France has been behind the scenes 
encouraging Francophone African countries not to support the 
opposition.  He saw a French hand influencing ECOWAS' 
approach to the crisis.  According to Olympio, Niger 
President (and ECOWAS Chair) Tanja was invited to the recent 
Abuja meeting with Obasanjo but said he couldn't come because 
of a meeting on the Sahel in Mali, which Olympio thought was 
a poor excuse.  Olympio was frustrated that Tanja's 
invitation to all the parties to come to Niamey did not give 
Akatani Bob enough time to attend because he was campaigning 
in the north.  Tanja has never spoken with Olympio.  "Totally 
off the record", Olympio told PolChief that ECOWAS is 
financially corrupt, with no substance and little financial 
capability.  When asked about the African Union's statement, 
he thought it was weak.  He was critical of the EU's lack of 
effectiveness in Togo. 
 
9.  (C)  Ghana has the weight in the region and in ECOWAS to 
have an impact on the Togo situation, but it has not been 
helpful to the opposition, Olympio said.  He sees Ghana's 
President Kufuor as too closely linked to the Eyadema family. 
 He recounted a disturbing meeting the previous night, when 
Ghana's Inspector General of Police and Director of 
Immigration called on him unannounced at his house.  After a 
round-about discussion, the IGP told Olympio the GOG wanted 
him to talk less to the media.  Olympio responded that he 
doesn't seek out the media, they look for him.  Olympio 
opined that the Director of Immigration came along because 
she hoped to intimidate him and look for a way to deport him 
(not realizing, he said, that Olympio is a dual 
Togolese-Ghanaian citizen.) 
 
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A Local Canadian Perspective 
---------------------------- 
 
10.  (C)  On April 29, Canadian High Commissioner Don Bobiash 
called on the Ambassador to compare notes on Togo.  He was 
clear that he did not have guidance from Ottowa and could not 
offer a cleared official position, but that his Political 
Officer had been an election observer and that he had just 
met with Gilchrist Olympio in the morning.  Ambassador said 
that since Bobiash is accredited to Togo, he should be in 
touch with Charge Twining. 
 
11.  (C)  In his meeting with Bobiash today, Olympio had made 
the same pitch for a U.S./Canadian-led dialogue.  Olympio 
wants a dialogue, but fears that Gnassingbe would use a 
transitional government to use him and the opposition. 
Bobiash's view is that the French, ECOWAS, and the Government 
of Ghana are doing nothing to promote democracy in Togo. 
Bobiash said ECOWAS Executive Director Chambas called Olympio 
during their meeting today and Olympio expressed his 
disappointment with ECOWAS' approach.  EU observers in Togo 
told Canadian PolOff that they saw significant fraud in the 
election and that they were reporting this to Brussels. 
However, Bobiash felt that the EU was reluctant to criticize 
the Togo election in deference to French leadership in the 
region.  He had no doubt the French were pressuring African 
states to support Gnassingbe.  The key question, Bobiash 
said, is whether Africans will put pressure on the Gnassingbe 
regime to compromise.  We (the U.S. and Canada) have a 
special role as credible outsiders and a real opportunity to 
impact a key moment in the crossroads of history in Togo, 
according to Bobiash. 
 
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Comment 
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12.  (C)  Once again, Olympio didn't appear to have a 
political plan, except to hope that the United States will 
lead an international dialogue.  He could not offer much 
information about the internal dynamics in the Togolese 
military, although he harbors hopes of support from Ex-Chief 
of Staff Bitenewe and ex-Interior Minister Boko.  He made no 
promise that the opposition would issue a public statement 
about being prepared to enter into a dialogue.  He clearly 
feels some frustration with international efforts to date. 
He was surprised by PolChief's statement that the opposition 
has the support of the international community.  He notedthat ECOWAS Exec 
utive Director Chambas had called im earlier 
this week suggesting a meeting with Fure and Obasanjo on a 
farm in Nigeria (which Olymio supported) but then he never 
eard back.  As far as he knows, there is no meeting planned 
(He reiterated this to Bobiash on April 29.)  Olympio sees 
Obasanjo as important to any international effort, but once 
again complained that the recent Abuja meeting was an 
Obasanjo "monologue" with very little opportunity for 
discussion. 
 
13.  (C)  Olympio's case for U.S./Canadian leadership in a 
dialogue was much more forceful and purposeful than in our 
meeting two days ago (reftel).  He liked our April 27 press 
statement.  He feels he has a good rapport with the Canadian 
High Commissioner in Accra and said Canada's Francophone 
background made it a good partner in an international effort. 
 With the reopening of the border, he expects a number of 
opposition leaders to come to Ghana in the next day or so for 
consultations.  He received our talking points seriously, 
taking notes, and said he would discuss them with opposition 
colleagues. 
 
YATES 
 
 
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