Cablegate: Au Summit: Ahtissari Urges Transatlantic Cooperation

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TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM XA FI
SUBJECT: AU SUMMIT: AHTISSARI URGES TRANSATLANTIC COOPERATION

This message is from USAU Ambassador Michael A. Battle.

1. (U) January 31, 2010, 4:00 p.m.; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2. (U) Participants:

United States
Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson
NSC Senior Director Michelle Gavin
Ambassador Michael Battle
AF Special Assistant Akunna Cook
Political Officer Lauren Ladenson
AU Desk Officer Ryan Bowles (notetaker)

Finland
Former President Maarti Ahtissari
Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and Sudan Pekka Haavisto
Peace and Reconciliation Adviser Jussi Ojala (notetaker)

3. (SBU) Summary: Former Finnish President and Nobel Laureate
Maarti Ahtissari said that transatlantic cooperation at the planning
stage of any new initiative is crucial, and called on the U.S. to
begin working with others on detailed planning for the independence
of South Sudan. Finnish Special Envoy Pekka Haavisto told A/S
Carson that the international community, particularly the UN, needed
to focus more on Puntland and Somaliland if we wished to curtail
piracy. A/S Carson asked Haavisto to look at the issue of raising
AMISOM salaries to the UN-standard $1,100 per month in the hopes of
recruiting additional countries to contribute troops, as we
understand that one of the barriers is primarily the amount of EU
financial support. End summary.

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Sudan: We must plan for an independent South
---------------------------------------------

4. (SBU) Former Finnish President and Nobel Laureate Maarti
Ahtissari said that the Group of Elders was considering the best way
to engage on Sudan. They were asked a week ago to travel to
Khartoum, but declined in order to see the results of former U.S.
President Jimmy Carter's upcoming mission. At the end of May,
Carter will report to the Group at their next meeting in
Johannesburg. Based on Carter's report, the Group will consider a
trip to Sudan.

5. (SBU) Ahtissari reiterated his credentials as a devout
Transatlanticist, saQng that he would tell President Obama that
European reticence to be involved in Iraq and Afghanistan could
mostly be traced to a lack of joint planning in the early stages of
each conflict. He says this points to a need for the U.S. and
Europe to work together closely on issues of concern from day one --
and that in the case of Kosovo, for example, this coordination
proved to be critical to the independent and stable coQtry we have
today.

6. (SBU) Moving back to Sudan, Ahtissari said that close planning
and cooperation was desperately needed on planning for South Sudan's
independence. Unfortunately, he said, the UN, AU, and EU were
really unable to discuss the issue seriously prior to the 2011
referendum in Sudan. Given that responsible multilateral
institutions could not effectively plan, Ahtissari said that
bilateral partners like the United States and others must start work
immediately. He said that we needed to start now to think about how
alternative oil pipelines and energy arrangements, among other
items, would work. Ahtissari was pessimistic about the prospects
for Sudanese unification, and did not believe the North would
negotiate quickly or in good faith on the myriad issues inherent in
splitting the Sudanese state during the immediate time period
following the independence vote.

7. (SBU) A/S Carson said he agreed with Athissari's assessment, and
said that independence was inevitable. Carson thought that many
governments and individuals were involved in "self-delusion" by
thinking that unification remained a viable option, and Ahtissari
agreed. Ahtissari finished by saying that as much concern as he
has, he feels he can not participate with the other Elders on Sudan,
because his prior experience with the secession of Kosovo would
remove his neutrality in the eyes of the Northern Sudanese.

ADDIS ABAB 00000187 002 OF 002

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Somalia: Puntland and Somaliland are key
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8. (SBU) Finnish Special Envoy Pekka Haavisto said he visited
Mogadishu in May, and Puntland and Somaliland in August. He is
concerned that the international community is not doing enough to
provide assistance to Puntland and Somaliland, as he believes that
small investments would reduce piracy and strengthen their
governments. He is troubled that 15-year-old youth he spoke to in
Puntland aspire more to be pirates than any other profession, and
says that this points to the need to stimulate the local economy and
provide jobs to young people. Haavisto feels that in order to
reduce piracy, the UN in particular must be less risk averse and
more willing to work in Somaliland and Puntland. He called for
international aid to be split 50 percent each for economic
development and hard security.

9. (SBU) Haavisto felt safe on his 1500 km journey overland to
Somaliland and Puntland with six local armed bodyguards he hired for
$20 per day, per person. He was advised that he would need 30
guards to safely travel to pirate havens in the two regions. While
in Puntland he discussed the prospect of additional aid, and told
A/S Carson that Puntland authorities assured him of the safety of
any Western aid worker trying to help their people.

10. (SBU) A/S Carson took note of Haavisto's comments, and said
that we would like to engage more with both Somali regions.
However, our diplomatic security service was still not comfortable
with the prospect of our sending diplomats to either Somaliland or
Puntland. Carson hoped this situation might change in the future.

11. (SBU) Carson moved to the AMISOM mission, and pointed to the
need for the AU to pay salaries in line with UN standards.
Currently the AU pays $750 per soldier per month, while the UN
standard rate is $1,100 per month. We understood that the barrier
to resolving this issue is primarily related to the level of EU
funding for troop salaries, and that AU Chairperson Jean Ping is in
favor of raising salaries. Haavisto promised to look into the
amount of EU funding.

12. (U) A/S Carson and NSC Senior Director Gavin have cleared this
message.

YATES

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