Cablegate: Somalia: Un Special Rep Calls for International

VZCZCXRO4403
RR RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHLO #1666 1721447
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201447Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8985
INFO RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0391
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1213
RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS LONDON 001666

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

NAIROBI FOR SOMALIA SECTION

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS UNSC KPKO SO XW UK
SUBJECT: SOMALIA: UN SPECIAL REP CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL
SUPPORT FOR DJIBOUTI AGREEMENT

1. (U) UN Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou
Ould-Abdallah called for the international community's
support for the Djibouti Agreement between the Somali
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Alliance for
Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) at a June 19 think-tank event
in London. Defending the agreement, he called the TFG "a
group that is considered legitimate by many of us and is
therefore legal," and said it is normal to have "elements
that oppose" the peace deal. He estimated that 75 to 80
percent of Somalis are represented by the two groups.

2. (U) Turning to the agreement itself, Ould-Abdallah said
there are three core paragraphs. Paragraph seven calls for a
UN stabilization force, re-deployment of Ethiopian troops
from Somalia, and a cessation of violence; these three
elements are inter-linked to "ensure there is no security
vacuum." Paragraph eight is also linked to improving
security; it calls for the establishment of a joint security
committee. This committee, he suggested, should have
national, regional, and local elements from both sides.
Describing paragraph nine, he said the high-level political
committee should be comprised of five to seven individuals
from both sides who can deal with national issues. The
committee is designed to help the parties become "familiar
with political government management and is not a parallel
government" and should be replicated at the local level as
well. Learning political management of government will be a
crucial element to the successful implementation of the peace
agreement.

3. (U) The Special Representative acknowledged the Djibouti
Agreement would be met with skepticism because of the history
of peace deals in Somalia, but insisted that it could be
successful with international support. He said it was now
incumbent on the international community to "respond to the
agreement." He highlighted resolving Somalia's debt issues
and robust international participation at the conference on
Somalia's reconstruction and development as two key
initiatives, noting that the IMF and World Bank will be
important players in Somalia's full-scale reconstruction. He
also called for the international community to intervene
immediately to stop the dumping of solid, chemical, and
possibly nuclear waste in Somalia. The Djibouti Agreement is
"part of the process" and resources must be mobilized
immediately, including the relocation of the UN offices to
Mogadishu, to ensure the process continues.

Comment
-------
4. (SBU) Earlier in the day, the Special Representative met
with HMG officials, including FCO Minister for Africa Lord
Malloch-Brown. Our FCO contacts tell us that the Special
Representative's description of the background thinking on
the Djibouti Agreement has allayed many of their concerns
that the deal lacked "real substance." Although the UK has
not yet determined its support, Ould-Abdallah's visit has
certainly nudged their thinking forward. His thoughts on how
and when to scale up the UN's presence in Somalia and on
deployment of a UN peacekeeping operation will heavily
influence the UK's support for such multilateral initiatives.
End comment.

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