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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 09 PARIS 001698 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/09/2018 TAGS: PREL PINR ECON MARR PHUM XA FR SUBJECT: FRANCE'S CHANGING AFRICA POLICY: PART III (MILITARY PRESENCE AND OTHER STRUCTURAL CHANGES) REF: A. PARIS 1501 ¶ B. PARIS 1568 ¶ C. HOTR WASHINGTON DC//USDAO PARIS (SUBJ: IIR 6 832 0617 08) ¶ D. HOTR WASHINGTON DC//USDAO PARIS (SUBJ: IIR 6 832 0626 08) ¶ 1. (C) SUMMARY: France's new Africa policy may have its most immediate impact on France's military presence in Africa. The French are planning to consolidate their military presence and want to orient it towards cooperation with Africa's sub-regional groupings (e.g., ECOWAS, SADC, et al.) and away from bilateral efforts. They foresee their military presence coalescing into two hubs, one on the Atlantic Ocean (Senegal or Gabon) and one on the Indian Ocean (Djibouti or French overseas department Reunion Island). Even these bases may eventually disappear if Africans prove capable of maintaining peace and security. Another priority will be the renegotiation of France's Defense Agreements with eight African countries, which now feature outdated provisions from the colonial era. The French announced in June 2008 the set of priorities that will henceforth frame French economic assistance to Africa. The Foreign Ministry is creating a fourth "sous-direction" (akin to a Department Office) that will more closely match Africa's sub-regional groups, and may also reconfigure French Embassies in Africa on a large, medium, and small basis to align priorities with budget constraints. END SUMMARY. ¶ 2. (C) Part I of this series (ref A) described the "France-Afrique" model that governed France's relations with sub-Saharan Africa for most of the 20th century. Even before taking office in May 2007, President Nicolas Sarkozy believed that relations needed revision in response to globalization, changing circumstances, and the waning of the colonial and immediate post-colonial periods. He sought a more modern and transparent relationship, ostensibly of "equals," that would allow both sides to conduct relations on a business-like and rational basis. Part II (ref B) discussed France's first steps (and missteps) in implementing this policy and African reactions to it. This message (Part III) focuses on France's military presence in Africa and organizational changes likely to occur in conjunction with France's new policy. Post welcomes comments from colleagues at U.S. missions in Africa. XXXXXXXXXXXX Conclusion ---------- ¶ 36. (C) In saying that he would "reform" France's Africa policy, Sarkozy has taken on a task of formidable proportions, which is no less than to break once and for all from the colonial and post-colonial world and its mindset and to bring relations into today's era. To do so, he must overcome inertia and a certain level of comfort on both sides that have accumulated over many years. Yet, as in other areas of French policy, he seems determined to move forward and has taken his first steps. In our view, this is a positive development, for France-Afrique was becoming an increasingly creaky, costly, and potentially dangerous vehicle for dealing with a continent rife with challenges, less amenable to heeding its former colonial masters, and inescapably engaged in global issues of all kinds, from terrorism, to the environment, to drug trafficking, to energy resource management, and well beyond. ¶ 37. (C) But, will France-Afrique and old habits ever completely fade? One MOD contact, not known for sentimentality, believes that certain parts of France-Afrique will endure, if for no other reason than the common use of the French language and long intertwined histories. Prefacing his remarks by noting their lack of "political correctness" and their triteness, he says that the relationship was for a long time similar to a parent-child relationship. "Now, the child is an adult, capable of and deserving of more autonomy, yet still welcoming our help and guidance. What Sarkozy is doing is kicking the fledgling out of the nest, which is sort of the way he approaches a lot of problems. A heavy dose of what you might call 'tough love,' not always dispensed lovingly. Eventually, the now-grown adult child will be replaced by something resembling a cousin or a nephew. We will grow farther apart and less apt to look to each other reflexively, but some familial bond will remain, however much we may seek to deny it, and familial bonds are always to be nurtured. Our job is to make sure that this inevitable drifting apart takes place positively on both sides, does not completely extinguish the bond, and, most importantly, does not turn into an estrangement. That would be a loss for everyone -- French, Africans, and Americans." PARIS 00001698 009 OF 009 Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Fran ce STAPLETON