US embassy cable - 05OTTAWA1368

UNCLAS OTTAWA 001368 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAN (F. HERNANDEZ) AND AF/W (A. SILSKI) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MASS, PREL, MARR, EAID, LI, CA, FAC 
SUBJECT: CANADIAN SUPPORT FOR LIBERIAN SECURITY REFORM 
 
REF: (A) STATE 061398 (B) OTTAWA 952 
 
THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE HANDLE 
ACCORDINGLY. 
 
1. (SBU)  In response to ref a, poloff followed up with 
Andrew Armstrong, Manager of Fleet Policies and Standards at 
Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) Headquarters.  Armstrong stated 
that he would advise CCG management of our interest in using 
these boats as part of a nascent Liberian Coast Guard, but 
also reiterated to poloff his concerns that these boats were 
neither designed for coastal maritime patrols, nor were they 
built to operate in a tropical climate.  If Canada were to 
supply these vessels to Liberia, Armstrong indicated that the 
CCG would likely rely upon Foreign Affairs Canada (FAC) to 
handle negotiations between the USG and the Government of 
Liberia on the logistics of transferring the boats from 
Canada to Liberia. 
 
2. (SBU) In a letter faxed to us on April 14, Louis Hamel, 
Director of the West and Central Africa Division at FAC, 
clarified the GoC's position on this issue: 
 
QUOTE: Canada appreciates the role the United States of 
America is playing in supporting Liberian security reform in 
accordance with the August 18, 2003 Accra Comprehensive Peace 
Accord.  Canada is also interested in the legal implications 
of such support in relation to the embargo on arms and 
related material of all types, decided by the United Nations 
Security Council in its resolution of 1521 (2003). 
 
Canada's bilateral aid program to Liberia is very limited. 
Canada is therefore not in a position to offer the Liberian 
government the Canadian Coast Guard vessels cited in the 
demarche of March 23, 2005.  END QUOTE. 
 
3. (SBU) Hamel included an addendum to his memo providing 
specifications for the vessels in question.  Relevant text 
follows: 
 
Begin text. 
 
My office has been in contact with the Canadian Coast Guard 
(CCG) concerning the vessels cited in the demarche of March 
23, 2005.  The information supplied by Robert Gravelle of the 
UN Mission in Liberia is substantially correct.   The CCG is 
in the process of disposing or will soon commence disposal of 
up to nine small vessels in the 11 - 12 metre range. 
 
These vessels in question are, for the most part, in excess 
of 30 years old and have exceeded their useful life.  The 
vessels vary in speed from 10 to 14 knots with a crew of 4. 
They have no on-board accommodation and can only operate as 
day boats.  These former search and rescue lifeboats (based 
on USCG 44 ft MLB design) are not suitable for any pursuit 
operations since, in general, they have limited fuel 
capacity, speed and range.  The age factor is critical, as 
the older the vessels the greater the cost of maintenance and 
at this age that cost can become incremental.  Finally the 
vessels were designed for operation in colder climates and 
may not be easily operated in tropical climates. 
 
End text. 
 
Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa 
 
DICKSON