ITALIAN SUPPORT FOR SOMALI PEACE INITIATIVES

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000639

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2012
TAGS: PGOV SO ET IT UN
SUBJECT: ITALIAN SUPPORT FOR SOMALI PEACE INITIATIVES

REF: ROME 331

CLASSIFIED BY: POL M C THOMAS COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: BECAUSE OF ITALY'S HISTORIC
TIES WITH SOMALIA AND ETHIOPIA, THE GOI IS PLAYING A STRONG
ROLE IN THE SOMALI PEACE PROCESS. IT APPEARS TO SEE ITS ROLE
AS BOTH ENCOURAGING ALLIED STATES TO SUPPORT THE MOI-LED
RECONCILIATION EFFORT AND RECONCILING SOMALI-ETHIOPIAN
CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02 ROME 00639 081628Z
TENSIONS. THE MFA HAS INDICATED ITS CONCERN (REF A) THAT
ETHIOPIA COULD SPONSOR AGGRESSION AND FALSELY CLAIM TO BE
ACTING AT U.S. BEHEST. REPORTS OF A GOI-SPONSORED PEACE
CONFERENCE ON FEB. 15 ARE SPURIOUS. END SUMMARY AND COMMENT.


2. (C) AT A MEETING FEB. 5 WITH MINISTER BRUNO CABRAS,
DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN AFFAIRS AT THE MFA,
POST INQUIRED ABOUT A REPORT IN THE ITALIAN MEDIA OF A FEB. 8
SOMALI OPPOSITION MEETING IN ROME, TO BE FOLLOWED BY A PEACE
CONFERENCE AMONG FACTION REPRESENTATIVES HERE FEB. 15.
CABRAS STATED THAT ANY SUCH MEETINGS WERE PRIVATE INITIATIVES
OF WHICH HE WAS NOT AWARE. HE SUGGESTED THAT THE PRESS HAD
INCORRECTLY DESCRIBED AN EVENT ACTUALLY PLANNED FOR FEB. 15:
AN MFA ROUNDTABLE ON SOMALIA FOR EUROPEAN EXPERTS AND
ACADEMICS, NOT SOMALI OPPOSITION FIGURES.


3. (C) CABRAS INFORMED EMBOFFS THAT THE GOI WAS PLANNING A
SOMALIA PEACE INITIATIVE, BUT THAT IT WOULD BE COMPLEMENTARY
TO THE PLANNED NAIROBI PEACE CONFERENCE AND COORDINATED WITH
RELEVANT PLAYERS, INCLUDING THE USG. THE GOI WOULD NOT DO
ANYTHING TO HARM THE NAIROBI PROCESS.


4. (C) ASKED ABOUT A RECENT ROUNDTABLE ON SOMALIA IN WHICH
TWO FORMER GOI OFFICIALS CALLED FOR A SOMALI PEACE CONFERENCE
TO BE HELD IN ROME INSTEAD OF NAIROBI, CABRAS STATED THAT
THESE INDIVIDUALS SIDED WITH A PRO-ETHIOPIAN FACTION. THIS
GROUP PREFERRED A MEETING THAT WOULD DISCUSS ONLY TERRORISM,
THEREBY DISCREDITING SOMALIA'S TRANSITIONAL NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT. CABRAS SAID HE HAD SHARED THE MFA'S VIEW--THAT
THIS WAS A MISUSE OF THE TERRORISM ISSUE--WITH DEPARTMENT
OFFICIALS RECENTLY.
CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 03 ROME 00639 081628Z


5. (U) A FEB. 7 MFA PRESS RELEASE REPORTED THAT MFA UNDER
SECRETARY ALFREDO MANTICA HAD MET THAT DAY WITH A SOMALI

SIPDIS
DELEGATION HEADED BY OSMAN JAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE MIXED
COMMISSION (ADMINISTRATION-PARLIAMENT) FOR NATIONAL
RECONCILIATION. THE PURPOSE OF THE ENCOUNTER WAS TO DISCUSS
THE SOMALI PEACE PROCESS AND ITALY'S ROLE IN IT. "THIS
MEETING INITIATES AN INTENSE SERIES OF MEETINGS THROUGH WHICH
THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT WILL MAINTAIN CONTACT WITH THE VARIOUS
SOMALI PARTIES INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING TO THE PEACE
PROCESS," MANTICA SAID. "ITALY'S INITIATIVE, ALTHOUGH
INDEPENDENT, COMPLEMENTS THE IGAD PROCESS ... IN ORDER TO
SUPPORT IT AND ENSURE ITS SUCCESS.... ITALY IS READY TO
PROVIDE THE POLITICAL SUPPORT NECESSARY TO ENSURE THE
REALIZATION OF INTRA-SOMALI DIALOGUE." ECHOING POINTS MADE
IN PREVIOUS POST DISCUSSIONS WITH MFA, THE PRESS RELEASE ALSO
NOTED, "WE CONSIDER INDISPENSABLE THE WIDEST POSSIBLE
PARTICIPATION OF ALL SOMALI FACTIONS AT THE UPCOMING
CONFERENCE IN NAIROBI, AND WE HOPE THAT THE TRANSITIONAL
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AND ALL RELEVANT PARTIES COLLABORATE
CLOSELY WITH KENYAN PRESIDENT MOI IN HIS COORDINATION EFFORTS
..."


6. (U) A FEB. 5 ARTICLE IN THE ITALIAN DAILY LA STAMPA
STATED THAT MANTICA HAD JUST RETURNED FROM A VISIT TO THE
HORN OF AFRICA, WHERE HE MET MOI AND THE REPRESENTATIVES OF
THE EIGHT WARRING SOMALI FACTIONS. MANTICA IS QUOTED AS
SAYING THAT SOMALIA SHOULD SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY THE PEACE
CONFERENCE PRESENTS BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, BECAUSE IT RISKS
BECOMING ANOTHER AFGHANISTAN. MANTICA EMPHASIZED THE GOI'S
READINESS TO WORK WITH ETHIOPIA, WITH WHOM IT SHARES HISTORIC
CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 04 ROME 00639 081628Z
TIES, TO SMOOTH OVER ANY IRRITANTS IN ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH
SOMALIA. ITALY WOULD MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO INVOLVE THE EU IN
ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL COMMITMENTS TOWARD PEACE.
SEMBLER

CONFIDENTIAL

>
2002ROME00639 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL