VZCZCXRO6550
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHYD #0825 2351230
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221230Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9213
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE 0197
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0062
RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 0477
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
UNCLAS YAOUNDE 000825
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PBTS PHSA MOPS MARR CM NI
SUBJECT: CAMEROON: BIYA ADDRESSES THE NATION ABOUT BAKASSI
REF: YAOUNDE 817
1. (U) On August 21, Cameroonian President Paul Biya gave a
televised speech to the nation that dealt exclusively with
Nigeria's August 14 final handover of the Bakassi Peninsula
to Cameroon (reftel). Biya congratulated the people of
Cameroon for their "moderation and patience" in pursuing a
peaceful resolution to the long-running border dispute and he
expressed gratitude to the people and Government of Nigeria,
who "honored their commitments" and allowed "reason and the
law to prevail."
2. (U) Biya acknowledged the role of the United States,
France, Germany and the UK (in that order) as witness states,
and the role of the United Nations as the broker of the
Greetree Agreement. Biya hailed the Greentree Agreement as
an model, predicting it will become a precedent for peaceful
resolution of border disputes around the continent. In
closing, Biya heralded the "dawn of a new era in relations
between Cameroon and Nigeria."
3. (SBU) Comment: Biya rarely addresses the nation and his
decision to comment publicly about Bakassi one week after the
handover was a positive development which highlights the
importance of the issue to Cameroonians and should help
further strengthen the GRC's relations with Nigeria. The
U.S. relationship with Cameroon may also benefit from the
events of the past week. In an earlier August 21
conversation with Poloff, Vice Prime Minister and Minister
for Justice Amadou Ali, who was the Government of Cameroon's
point man for the Greentree Agreement, said the GRC believes
that USG pressure on Nigeria was the deciding factor in the
success of the Greentree Agreement. When Poloff demurred,
crediting instead the GRC and GON leadership for their
dedication to the process, Ali insisted: "You may think it
was us, but we are convinced it was you."
FOX