1. (C) Political Assistant reported to Poloff that rumors
have been circulating throughout town and within Foreign
Affairs that changes in Djibouti's Embassies abroad will be
coming soon, possibly as soon as September. Washington DC,
Asmara, Addis Ababa, Jeddah and Yemen are rumored to be where
the changes will occur. It has been said that Ambassador
Olhaye, Djiboutian Ambassador to the United States, has been
out of Djibouti for too long, and will probably be pulled
from his assignment. Rumors of who his replacement will be
indicate that Director of Bilateral Affairs, Mohamed Ali
Hassan, is expected to be tapped for the position. Regarding
Jeddah, rumors say Mohamed Aden, current Consul to Jeddah,
has been making mistakes for many years and most likely will
come back to Djibouti. Word on the street is a consulate
will open in New Delhi, India. PolAsst said that these
rumors have been circulating for several weeks, but have
increased dramatically just recently. Post will investigate
these rumors and seek validation of possible changes.



2. (C) COMMENT: Our key interest is, of course, in assuring
that whoever negotiates for Djibouti regarding the extension
of base rights does so with the full authority of their
government. We judge that Ambassador Olhaye carries/will
carry that authority even if his tour in Washington/New York
is drawing to a close. END COMMENT.
GRIBBIN