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CONFIDENTIAL t,- -3Y FCO AND HA I ROB! l^^JVL •f OAK ES SALAAM 1 5 ^ 9 3 0 2 MAR 79 TO I f'MED! /\T£ FCO TELflO 197 OF 15 MARCH INFO IMMEDIATE NAIR INTO PRIORITY T R I P O L I , TELS MOS 190-192: UCAMDA/TAMZANIA t 5 MAR iv79 1 WE HAVE JUST LEARNT FROM THE AMERICANS THAT AT THE SAME TIME 7.-'AT MISS WICKEN WAS CALLING ON ME, AMBASSADOR SPAIN WAS SUMMONED ?v PRESIDENT NYERERE. PRESIDENT NYERERE WHO WAS ALONE PUT TO S^AIN THE SAME ANALYSIS AS THAT DESCRIBED BY MISS WICKEN AND WITH •<*-:£ SAME REQUEST THAT THE KENYANS SHOULD BE APPROACHED, NYERERE ALSO SPOKE ABOUT A SUCCESSOR TO AM IN IN SIMILAR TERMS TO THOSE USED BY MISS WICKEN (PARA 6 OF MY TEL 190) AND SAID THAT HE WOULD BE HAPPY TO CONSUL! THE KENYANS ABOUT THIS (COWING THEIR SUSPICIONS OF OBOTE. PRESIDENT NYERERE TOLD SPAIN THAT HE COULD K-OT APPROACH. PRESIDENT M0| DIRECT FOR FEAR OF A REBUFF. 2. SPAIN TOLD ME THAT HIS RECOMMENDATION TO WASHINGTON WAS THAT THEY SHOULD ACT ON THE TANZANIA?! REQUEST, ALTHOUGH HE SAW THE DANGERS OF BECOMING INDIRECTLY INVOLVED IN AM AFRICAN QUARREL, HE ^ELT STRONGLY THAT THE US SHOULD DO ALL THEY COULD TO HELP TANZANIA IN VIEW OF HIS GOVERNMENT'S CLOSE TIES OF FRIENDSHIP WITH THE TANZANIANS AS AGAINST THE FRIGIDITY OF RELATIONS WITH UGANDA, AFTER ALL, ALL THE TAMZANlANS WERE ASKING THE KENYANS TO DO BY PARTICULARLY CUTTING OFF OIL SUPPLIES TO UGANDA WAS NO MORE THAN THE US HAD DONE ALREADY. IN THE EVENT HOWEVER, ON THE ADVICE OF (I GATHER) THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR IN NAIROBI, THE INSTRUCTION FROM WASHINGTON WAS THAT THE MOST. THEY COULD DO WOULD BE TO OFFER TO NYERERE TO INFORM PRESIDENT MO I THAT NYERERE WOULD LIKE TO TALK WITH HIM ABOUT UGANDA - SOMETHING WHICH SPAIN HAD MADE CLEAR WAS PRECISELY WHAT NYERERE DID MOT WANT TO DO-EXCLAM WHEN SPAIN DELIVERED THIS MESSAGE TO NYERERE ON 12 MARCH, THE PRESIDENT/ PREDICTABLY DECLINED THE OFFER. SPAIN SAID THAT ALTHOUGH NYERERE HAD ACCEPTED THE AMERICAN DECISION WITH "CALM RESERVATION" HE WAS OBVIOUSLY DISAPPOINTED BY IT, CONFIDENTIAL 5, FROM