IGAD TO HOST WORKSHOP ON COMBATTING TERRORISM:

UNCLAS DJIBOUTI 001223

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR AF/E AND S/CT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS PTER DJ
SUBJECT: IGAD TO HOST WORKSHOP ON COMBATTING TERRORISM:
CJTF-HOA CHIEF INVITED



1. (U) During Ambassador's September 20 call on Dr. Attalla
Hamad Bashir, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental
Authority on Development (IGAD),to present an invitation to
him to attend a meeting of the Africa Partnership Forum
(septel),Dr. Attalla indicated to her that he had extended
to General Samuel Helland, Commander of the Combined Joint
Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA),an invitation to speak
at an IGAD workshop on terrorism. The workshop, called the
second IGAD Regional Workshop on Prevention and Combatting
Terrorism, is scheduled to be held at the White Sands Hotel
in Mombassa, Kenya on 18-21 October, according to Bashir. He
wanted the Ambassador to encourage the General's
participation.


2. (U) According to Dr. Bashir, the workshop is intended to
bring together high-level members of IGAD member states from
Defense, Internal Security, and the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, as a way toward development of a coordinated
regional strategy for dealing with terrorism in the region.
He said he believed the CJTF-HOA has a perspective on this
subject that might be useful in development of a strategy for
achieving this. As such, the invitation to General Helland
was a request that he present a paper on "The Challenges of
the Task Force in Combatting Terrorism in the Horn of
Africa."


3. (U) The draft agenda for the conference, which Bashir
shared with Ambassador, envisioned presentations by United
Nations, European Union, and African Union experts on
terrorism as well as statements by member states on the
issue. Also planned is a presentation by consultants Peter
Marwa and Dr. Anneli Botha on the threat of terrorism in the
region. The conference would conclude with the presentation,
discussion and adoption of a draft action plan for IGAD
states.


4. (SBU) Ambassador told Bashir that she agreed that the
conference could be a very useful mechanism for close
consultation and coordination among IGAD states on the issue
of terrorism. However, she was not sure of General Helland's
schedule in the time frame noted, but would certainly
encourage his participation or that of another representative
of CJTF-HOA in his behalf.
RAGSDALE