US embassy cable - 95GABORONE6513

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SOUTH AFRICA -- NOT SADC -- TO TAKE THE LEAD ON NIGERIA

Identifier: 95GABORONE6513
Wikileaks: View 95GABORONE6513 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Gaborone
Created: 1995-12-01 15:12:00
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Tags: PREL BC NI SF
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
P 011512Z DEC 95
FM AMEMBASSY GABORONE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8482
INFO AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK 
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE 
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA 
AMEMBASSY MASERU 
AMEMBASSY LAGOS 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
AMEMBASSY LUANDA 
USLO ABUJA 
AMEMBASSY MAPUTO 
AMEMBASSY MBABANE 
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 
AMEMBASSY HARARE 
AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 
AMCONSUL DURBAN 
AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 
C O N F I D E N T I A L GABORONE 006513 
 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W AND AF/S 
 
LONDON FOR YOUNG 
 
PRETORIA PLEASE PASS TO AF/S DIRECTOR BLANEY AND CARTER-PERRY 
 
E.O. 12958:  11/28/05 
TAGS: PREL BC, NI, SF 
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA -- NOT SADC -- TO TAKE THE LEAD ON NIGERIA 
 
REF:  GABORONE 6465 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: HOWARD F. JETER, AMBASSADOR 
 
REASON: 1.5(B) 
 
1.   CONTRARY TO WHAT PRESIDENT MASIRE'S PRIVATE SECRETARY TOLD US 
LAST WEEK, LOUIS SELEPENG, PERMANENT SECRETARY FOR POLITICAL 
AFFAIRS IN THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE, CONFIDED TO THE AMBASSADOR 11/30 
THAT PRESIDENT MASIRE HAD DECLINED, IN HIS CAPACITY AS CHAIRMAN OF 
THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, TO CALL A MEETING OF 
SADC HEADS OF STATE, TO DEVELOP A REGIONAL SOUTHERN AFRICAN 
STRATEGY ON NIGERIA. 
 
2.   SELEPENG SAID THAT BOTSWANA MAINTAINED THAT THE QUESTION 
OF NIGERIA WAS NOT A SADC ISSUE (I.E., THERE WAS NO DIRECT CORRELATION 
BETWEEN THE UNFORTUNATE DEVELOPMENTS IN NIGERIA AND SADC AS A 
CORPORATE REGIONAL BODY), AND PRESIDENT MANDELA HAD AGREED. 
THEREFORE, IT WAS DECIDED THAT PRESIDENT MANDELA WOULD CALL A 
MEETING OF REGIONAL LEADERS TO CONSIDER THE NIGERIA QUESTION, AND 
WOULD DO SO IN HIS CAPACITY AS SOUTH AFRICA'S PRESIDENT BUT NOT IN 
THE NAME OF SADC.  SELEPENG NOTED THAT THE MANDELA-CALLED MEETING 
WOULD LIKELY TAKE PLACE IN PRETORIA. 
 
3.   SELEPENG SAID THAT PRESIDENT MASIRE WAS PREPARED TO ATTEND THE 
MEETING AT ANY TIME FOLLOWING HIS RETURN FROM THE GCA MEETING IN 
HOLLAND.  MASIRE RETURNED TO BOTSWANA YESTERDAY, NOVEMBER 30. 
 
4.   FOR BLANEY AND CARTER-PERRY:  NIGERIA WILL INEVITABLY TURN UP 
DURING THE VICE PRESIDENT'S BILATERAL DISCUSSIONS WITH PRESIDENT 
MASIRE.  THE VP SHOULD BE WELL BRIEFED. 
 
 
JETER 

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