US embassy cable - 02ABUJA3340

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 003340 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2012 
TAGS: PREL, MOPS, MASS, KPKO, NI, IV 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: ECOWAS NAMES COORDINATOR FOR COTE 
D'IVOIRE; SENEGAL APPOINTS FORCE COMMANDER; GBAGBO TO 
PROPOSE RECONCILIATION PACKAGE 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR HOWARD F. JETER FOR REASONS 1.5 
(B) AND (D). 
 
 
1.  (C) During a December 19 telephone conversation, 
Nigerian Presidential Envoy on Conflict Resolution Raph 
Uwechue told Ambassador Jeter that he had been appointed 
the Special ECOWAS Representative to Cote d'Ivoire. 
Uwechue said his role would be to coordinate ECOWAS' 
political and military efforts in Cote d'Ivoire.  He 
planned to sort out the precise details of his job with 
ECOWAS ExecSec Mohammed Ibn Chambas when Chambas returns to 
Abuja today or tomorrow from the December 18, Dakar summit. 
 
 
2.  (C) Uwechue also confirmed that the Senegalese had 
named Presidential Military Advisor General Kahlil Fall as 
the commander of the proposed ECOWAS peacekeeping force in 
Cote d'Ivoire. 
 
 
3.  (C) According to Uwechue, Ivoirian President Laurent 
Gbgabo plans to propose a reconciliation plan to the rebels 
in the near future.  Uwechue said Gbagbo would share the 
details of his plan with the ECOWAS leadership soon. 
 
 
4.  (C) Finally, when asked by the Ambassador about the 
heads-of-state reaction to the proposed Paris summit, 
Uweche said none of the participants in the talks in Kara, 
Abidjan, or Dakar had raised the issue. 
 
 
5.  (C) COMMENT: Uwechue called the Ambassador at 0800 this 
morning, shortly after he returned from Dakar.  We will 
follow up with him in a few days after his planned 
discussion with Chambas to ascertain the next steps that 
ECOWAS plans to take.  Uwechue also noted in the 
conversation with the Ambassador that Nigeria might be 
planning to deploy forces as part of the still unrealized 
ECOWAS peacekeeping force.  END COMMENT. 
JETER