US embassy cable - 05ABUJA2188

UNCLAS ABUJA 002188 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KDEM, NI, LI, ECOWAS 
SUBJECT: ECOWAS ON LIBERIA AND TOGO 
 
REF: STATE 207095 
 
1.  In response to reftel, Charge met with National Security 
Advisor (NSA) Aliyu Mohammed Gusau on Friday, November 11. 
NSA said he would personally convey the contents of the 
message to President Obasanjo on the afternoon of November 11 
on his return to Abuja. 
 
2.  PolMilOff called ECOWAS Executive Secretary Chambas on 
November 11 and conveyed the contents of the demarche. 
Chambas agreed with the US position and said that he had 
already spoken with Johnson-Sirleaf, who he said had made 
"helpful statements" and will continue to reach out to Weah. 
General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the ECOWAS mediator for 
Liberia, is currently on the ground in Liberia and has been 
meeting with Weah. Chambas said Abubakar was planning to 
bring Weah to Abuja on Sunday, November 13 for meetings with 
ECOWAS and President Obasanjo.  Chambas closed by saying that 
he (and by extension ECOWAS) remained satisfied that the 
election process was fair and transparent. 
 
3.  Charge and PolMilOff met with Chambas on November 14 to 
continue the discussion on Liberia.  Weah did not, in fact, 
travel to Abuja on November 13.  Abubakar and NTGL Chairman 
Bryant felt that Weah needed to remain in Liberia to help 
keep his supporters under control. ECOWAS is now planning for 
Weah to travel to Abuja on November 16 with Abubakar. 
Chambas said that he is very pleased with the situation in 
Liberia and that he believes the "loss is beginning to sink 
in" for Weah.  African leaders, including the Presidents of 
Nigeria, South Africa, and Ghana, met in Abuja over the 
weekend to discuss the future direction of the African Union 
and issued a statement on Liberia (text below and transmitted 
to AF/RSA and AF/W). 
 
4.  On Togo, Chambas said Faure had just sent a delegation to 
Rome to meet with Gilchrist Olympio for the second time.  The 
goal of Faure is to bring Olympio back to Togo, and the 
meetings are designed to lay the groundwork for that eventual 
action.  Once Olympio is back in Togo, Faure plans to move 
ahead with parliamentary elections that will include the 
entire polity and will include a complete revision of the 
voter registration lists.  Once the new parliament is seated, 
Faure told Chambas he intends to move ahead with a reform 
agenda.  Moving now, with parliament not representative of 
national opposition elements, would doom any reforms. 
 
5.  Begin text of statement on Liberia: 
 
African Leaders meeting in Abuja, Nigeria to discuss 
proposals on the Union Government of Africa, learnt with 
great satisfaction of the conduct of peaceful, transparent, 
free, and fair presidential elections in Liberia on November 
8, 2005. 
 
The Leaders commended the people of Liberia for the exemplary 
manner in which they comported themselves and for 
participating in the elections without resort to violence or 
acts of intimidation and commended also the National 
Elections Commission for a job well done. 
 
They urged all Liberians to allow the electoral process to 
run its full course, and to use constitutional and legal 
means to redress any grievances arising from the elections. 
 
The Leaders reminded the Liberian people of the many 
sacrifices they ad made to end the crisis in their country 
and of the huge investment of the AU, the ECOWAS, the UN, and 
the international community in bringing about peace and 
democracy in Liberia.  The Leaders called on the 
international community to continue to help in the 
post-election reconstruction of Liberia. 
 
They called upon all Liberians to jealously guard the 
prevailing peace and to desist from any acts that are likely 
to return their country to crisis and undermine security, 
peace, stability, the rule of law and the reconstruction of 
their country. 
 
End text. 
FUREY