Cablegate: Somaliland: Uk "Very Concerned," but Refraining From Condemning Riyale Publicly

VZCZCXRO2710
OO RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHLO #1888 2261340
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 141340Z AUG 09 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3169
INFO RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY
RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 001888

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/FO - PDAS CARTER
DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR AF/E - FIERST AND WALSH
NAIROBI FOR SOMALIA UNIT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2019
TAGS: PREL EAID PGOV KDEM SO UK
SUBJECT: SOMALILAND: UK "VERY CONCERNED," BUT REFRAINING FROM CONDEMNING RIYALE PUBLICLY

REF: A. ADDIS ABABA 1971 B. LONDON 1818 C. NAIROBI 1719

Classified By: Political Counselor Robin Quinville, reasons 1.4 (b/d). (C) The UK is "very concerned" about the political crisis in Somaliland, but has "carefully refrained from publicly condemning" Somaliland President Riyale and "does not want to take sides," Foreign Office Somalia Unit team leader Gill Atkinson told Poloff August 14. While the UK has communicated "tough messages" to Riyale privately through UK Ambassador to Ethiopia Norm Ling and a letter to Riyale from Foreign Secretary Miliband, Atkinson explained, the Foreign Office sees all parties at fault. Riyale has accentuated the crisis by throwing out the voter registration list and expelling the NGO supporting the process, but the opposition parties are "not blameless" because they encouraged their respective supporters to register multiple times. The UK's message to all three Somaliland parties is that the three parties and the National Electoral Commission (NEC) must work out a way forward. Pushing Riyale publicly, Atkinson assessed, will only "paint him into a corner," which will not allow for a "Somali style consensus process" to lead to a solution. The UK has told both Riyale and the opposition parties that it will not provide any more funding to the electoral process until the political crisis is resolved. Atkinson also noted that September 27 is an "unrealistic" date for the elections to occur given the logistics required and suggested the opposition needs to be more flexible on that demand. Atkinson suggested that the donor group in Nairobi could making a strong statement from the international community, "without taking sides," to indicate that a solution to the political crisis must come from the three parties and the NEC. Visit London's Classified Website: XXXXXXXXXXXX
LeBaron

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