US embassy cable - 92NDJAMENA335

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 00335 
 
 
E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PTER, CD, NI, NG, CM, LY 
SUBJ: CHAD'S RELATIONS WITH ITS NEIGHBORS 
 
REF: (A) NDJAMENA 302, (B) LAGOS 991, (C) NIAMEY 489 
(ALL NOTAL) 
 
1.  CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT. 
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2.  SUMMARY:  SENIOR GOC OFFICIALS HAVE STRESSED TO ME 
THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE U.S. AND OTHERS IN OUR EFFORTS TO 
COUNTER LIBYAN TERRORISM, AND THEY HAVE PROVIDED 
ASSURANCES THAT THEY WILL RESIST LIBYAN EFFORTS TO 
NEUTRALIZE WESTERN INFLUENCE IN THIS REGARD.  FOREIGN 
MINISTER AHMAT BRIEFED ME ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S 
RECENT VISITS TO NIGER, NIGERIA, CAMEROON AND LIBYA. 
HE SAID THAT THE GOC WILL SOON SEND DELEGATIONS TO 
KHARTOUM AND BANGUI AS WELL.  WHILE GENERALLY PLEASED 
WITH THE SUPPORT OF CHAD'S NEIGHBORS, THE FOREIGN 
MINISTER HAD A REALISTIC SENSE OF WHAT IS AND WHAT IS 
NOT POSSIBLE.  IN THE PRESENT CONTEXT, THE GOC SEEMS 
MORE CONCERNED THAN USUAL TO MAINTAIN THE SUPPORT OF 
THE USG, AND IT RECOGNIZES THAT WILL REQUIRE 
CONSIDERABLE CARE IN DEALING WITH LIBYA.  END SUMMARY. 
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FOLLOW-UP TO PAN AM/UTA DEMARCHE 
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3.  FOLLOWING LAST FRIDAY'S PAN AM 103/UTA 772 DEMARCHE 
(REF A), PRESIDENT DEBY SUMMONED ME ON SATURDAY.  HE 
ASSURED ME THAT CHAD SUPPORTED OUR POSITION REGARDING 
LIBYAN TERRORISM.  HE NOTED CHAD'S OWN LOSSES ON THE 
UTA 772 FLIGHT AS WELL AS ITS OTHER CONCERNS REGARDING 
LIBYA.  HE ALSO SAID THAT SENIOR LIBYAN OFFICIALS HAD 
PHONED HIM SEEKING HIS SUPPORT.  HE CLAIMED TO HAVE 
REJECTED THEIR ENTREATIES.   HE SAID HE GAVE PRECISE 
INSTRUCTIONS TO PRIME MINISTER ALINGUE NOT TO FALL INTO 
ANY LIBYAN TRAPS REGARDING THE PAN AM/UTA ISSUE. 
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4.  ON MONDAY, JANUARY 20 FOREIGN MINISTER MAHAMAT 
SALEH AHMAT, WHO ACCOMPANIED ALINGUE ON HIS RECENT 
TRIPS TO NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES, REITERATED THE POINTS 
MADE BY DEBY.  HE SHOWED ME THE JOINT COMMUNIQUE SIGNED 
IN TRIPOLI THE DAY BEFORE.  HE DREW MY ATTENTION TO THE 
UNEQUIVOCAL CONDEMNATION OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM IN 
ALL ITS FORMS, NOTING THE INNOCENT LIVES THAT HAVE BEEN 
LOST.  THE TEXT APPEARED TO BE STRENGTHENED BY THE 
CHADIANS, AND IT NOTED THAT EACH SIDE EXPLAINED ITS 
RESPECTIVE POSITION.   THE LIBYANS DID MANAGE TO GET 
THE CHADIANS TO AGREE TO LANGUAGE NOTING THE THREATS 
AND INTIMIDATION WEIGHING ON THE LIBYAN PEOPLE.  CHAD 
MADE SUPPORTIVE STATEMENTS TO THE LIBYAN PEOPLE WHO 
FACED THREATS OF DESTABILIZATION TO THE SUB-REGION. 
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ALINGUE'S MEETINGS 
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5.  ON ALINGUE'S MEETINGS IN NEIGHBORING CAPITALS, 
AHMAT SAID THAT AT EACH STOP, INCLUDING TRIPOLI, THE 
RESPECTIVE GOVERNMENTS OFFERED TO SUPPORT THE GOC.  IN 
NIGER HE SAID THE GON WAS UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORTIVE 
BUT EXTREMELY LIMITED IN TERMS OF WHAT IT ACTUALLY 
COULD DO GIVEN DIFFICULT DOMESTIC PRIORITIES AND 
LIMITED FUNDS.  HE SAID THAT THE BULK OF THE REFUGEES 
WOULD BE MOVED TO DIFFA FROM N'GUIGMI AND SOME OF THE 
LEADERS WOULD BE PLACED IN DOSSO.  HE SAID THE 
NIGERIANS AGREED TO OPEN THE BORDER WHICH IS IMPORTANT 
TO PEOPLE WHO TRADE ACROSS THE FRONTIER.   AHMAT NOTED 
THAT THE REBELS DID NOT OBSERVE THE CLOSED BORDER IN 
ANY CASE, SO THERE WAS NOTHING GAINED BY KEEPING IT 
CLOSED.  HE WAS HOPEFUL THAT ABUJA WOULD ACT BUT 
SKEPTICAL THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COULD OVERCOME 
THE EFFECT OF SUPPORT THE REBELS ARE ABLE TO GARNER IN 
BORNU.  AHMAT SEEMED GENERALLY SATISFIED WITH THE 
MEASURES BEING TAKEN BY THE CAMEROONIANS.  WHEN I ASKED 
WHETHER HE FELT THAT THE GOC HAD LIBYAN SUPPORT, HE 
REPLIED, QUOTE WELL, THAT IS WHAT THEY SAY.  UNQUOTE. 
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6.  AHMAT SAID THAT PRIME MINISTER ALINGUE INTENDS TO 
LEAD DELEGATIONS SOON TO CAR AND SUDAN, AND HE SAID 
THAT THE GOC IS BEING ADVISED TO CONSULT WITH THE 
SENEGALESE IN DAKAR.  HE SAID THAT THE MEETINGS IN 
NIGER, NIGERIA AND CAMEROON ENTAILED FAIRLY SPECIFIC 
NEGOTIATIONS WHILE THOSE IN OTHER CAPITALS WERE MORE IN 
THE NATURE OF BRIEFINGS TO SENSITIZE CHAD'S NEIGHBORS 
TO THE IMPORTANCE N'DJAMENA ATTACHES TO THE REBEL 
THREAT.  TALKS IN DAKAR WOULD BE AIMED AT PRESSING THE 
GOS TO EXERT GREATER CONTROL OVER HABRE.  AHMAT CLAIMED 
THAT REBEL LEADER GOUKOUNI GUET HAS RETURNED TO 
SENEGAL, PRESUMABLY TO PLAN NEXT MOVES WITH HABRE. 
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CHADIAN PERCEPTION OF THE U.S. ROLE 
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7.  THE CHADIANS SEEM TO HAVE LINKED SEVERAL RECENT 
DEVELOPMENTS.  THE REBEL ATTACKS AND THE WAVE OF 
ARRESTS THAT FOLLOWED, HAVE SHAKEN PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN 
THE DEBY REGIME, AND IN THIS CONTEXT OUR VOLUNTARY 
DEPARTURE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS SEEN AS A FURTHER BLOW.  IN 
THE MEANTIME, OUR DEMARCHES (AS WELL AS THOSE OF THE 
FRENCH) BOTH ON HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES AND LIBYA APPEAR TO 
HAVE HAD AN IMPACT ON DEBY.  WE UNDERSTAND THAT MANY IF 
NOT ALL OF THOSE ARRESTED WILL SOON BE TRIED OR 
RELEASED AND THAT DEBY'S PRO-LIBYAN CHIEF OF STAFF 
HASSAN FADOUL KITIR IS TO BE FIRED.  THE STATEMENTS BY 
DEBY AND AHMAT WERE MEANT TO ASSURE US THAT THE GOC, IN 
PART TO PRESERVE U.S. SUPPORT, IS CONDUCTING ITS 
RELATIONSHIP WITH LIBYA WITH GREAT CARE.  FROM DEBY'S 
PERSPECTIVE, IN THE AFTERMATH OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED THIS 
MONTH, IT IS CRUCIAL TO HAVE U.S. SUPPORT BECAUSE OF 
THE LEGITIMACY IT BESTOWS ON HIM. 
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8.  AT THIS POINT, WE WANT TO WAIT TO SEE IF INDEED THE 
ACTIONS NOTED IN PARA 8 WILL BE TAKEN, AND IF THEY ARE 
WHAT REACTIONS WILL FOLLOW.  WE ANTICIPATE MAKING 
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS AT THAT TIME. 
 
BOGOSIAN