LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR BASE NEGOTIATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L DJIBOUTI 000468

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2014
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS PGOV DJ
SUBJECT: LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR BASE NEGOTIATIONS

Classified By: AMBASSADOR MARGUERITA D. RAGSDALE
FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (U) This is an action cable.

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SUMMARY
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2. (C) Groundwork must be laid to ensure the upcoming round
of lease negotiations transpire as smoothly as possible. To
this end, U.S. Embassy Djibouti proposes to hold a
coordination meeting between French forces in Djibouti (FFDJ)
and MARCENT Djibouti (MDJ) to pave the way for future lease
negotiations. Additionally, we ask that U.S. Embassy
Djibouti be allowed to announce lease negotiations to the
Government of Djibouti via diplomatic note when all parties
concerned are prepared to proceed.

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Good Neighbors
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3. (C) Currently, other than Camp Lemonier, no other
military facilities exist on the South side of Ambouli
International Airport. MDJ wishes to acquire land to the
East and access to the sea in order to facilitate required
expansion plans. The commander of FFDJ, MG Gerard Pons, has
informally shared on several occasions with the Embassy and
with Commander of CJTF-HOA an FFDJ desire for future
construction plans on the south side of the runway. From
discussions with both MDJ and FFDJ it appears that both
parties should be able to accomplish their respective
expansion projects. However, to preserve the current
goodwill and prevent future conflict, both parties should
conduct a meeting soon to lay out exact requirements and
space needs of each side. U.S. Embassy Djibouti is willing
to host such a meeting during the planned April 25-27 trip to
Djibouti by the OSD, Joint Staff, and CENTCOM. Such a
meeting will clear the air, dispel any suspicions and put the
USG in a good position prior to the renegotiation of the Base
Access Agreement for Camp Lemonier.

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Facilitating Communication
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4. (C) When the decision is made to move forward with new
lease negotiations, we propose that the USG inform the
Djiboutian government via diplomatic note from this Embassy.
While we hold no illusions that this will ensure all relevant
parties coordinate and collaborate within the Djiboutian
government, it will put us on the high ground here in
Djibouti when confronted by members of the DJG who claim to
have been "cut out" of the process.


5. (C) We have not been notified officially by the Djiboutian
government who will negotiate for Djibouti in the next round
of negotiations for Camp Lemonier. However, it is a safe
assumption that it will be Ambassador Olhaye in Washington,
D.C. It is also no secret among the Djibouti watchers that
Ambassador Olhaye is not well liked by other senior members
of the Djiboutian MFA or military. As has been noted in past
cables, the current lease for Camp Lemonier caused discontent
amongst Djiboutian military members when it was discovered
that their air base (otherwise known as the presidential
hangar) had been, in their view, "given away." Notifying the
DJG via diplomatic note from this Embassy will make clear to
all concerned that there is no intention on our part to hide
the process from anyone.
RAGSDALE