DJIBOUTI "SHOCKED" AT CANCELLATION OF GERMAN

UNCLAS DJIBOUTI 000441 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL PTER SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI "SHOCKED" AT CANCELLATION OF GERMAN PRESIDENT'S VISIT ¶1. (U) German President Johannes Rau cancelled his trip to Djibouti, scheduled for Wednesday, March 24th, at the last minute due to "considerable and concrete personal risk to the President," according to German security services. Rau's trip to Djibouti was the third stop in a three-country African tour, also including Nigeria and Tanzania. Post, and most of the Djiboutian government, learned of the cancellation on Wednesday, the 24th, from Washington and French news sources. Djiboutians Communications Minister, Rifki Abdoulkader Bamakhrama, responded to the cancellation. "There is no plot against any president from any country...There is no risk signaled by our security service." German Ambassador, Dr. Helga Graefin Strachwitz, based in Addis Ababa, had visited Embassy Djibouti for a courtesy call to Ambassador Ragsdale, Tuesday, March 23rd, during which she had confirmed the intention of President Rau to visit Djibouti. ¶2. (U) The purpose of Rau's visit was to meet with German troops stationed in Djibouti as part of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) operation, as a farewell gesture before he steps down this year. Rau was also to meet with Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh to discuss issues of military cooperation, the regional situation, and anti-terrorism prevention. This visit was to be the first by a German head of state to Djibouti. ¶3. (U) Djiboutian news sources reported Wednesday evening that President Rau spoke to President Guelleh on the phone, conveying his apologies for having to cancel the visit. The news sources did not expound on what, if any, other topics of conversation were covered. The Thursday edition of La Nation, the government run newspaper, printed a heated response to the cancellation with the title "Djibouti exprime son etonnement" - Djibouti Expresses Its Shock. This half-page article ran above-the-fold on the front page of the paper. The article was nearly editorial in nature, with added punctuation to express sarcasm and disbelief, as well as, vehement language to express the reaction of the Djiboutian government, delivered through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). According to the article, an MFA official expressed Djibouti's "shock and great surprise" at the cancellation, which was done "unilaterally and without consultation with the Djiboutian government." Later in the article, the author used the words "And God knows how many heads of state and other important persons have passed through Djibouti, without fearing for their life and their person." The article later states that the telephone conversation between Guelleh and Rau included mutual sentiments re-affirming their commitment to "reinforce Djiboutian-German bilateral relations and coordinate their efforts to instill peace and stability in this region of the world." The author of the La Nation piece smoothed things over by adding at the end "and that's how nothing can come to shake the good will between two friendly countries." The comment may be tongue and cheek, but indicate a Djiboutian willingness to forget the incident. RAGSDALE