SOMALI PERMREP BRIEFS AU PEACE AND SECURITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ADDIS ABABA 002042

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E
LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MOPS KPKO AU SO
SUBJECT: SOMALI PERMREP BRIEFS AU PEACE AND SECURITY
COUNCIL ON UIC VIOLATIONS

REF: ADDIS ABABA 2041


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On July 24, the African Union's Peace and
Security Council (PSC) met to discuss the situation in
Somalia and upcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of
Congo. Prior to closed door deliberations, Somalia's
Permanent Representative to the AU Amb. Abdulkarim Farah
briefed PSC members on why Somalia's Transitional Federal
Government (TFG) had decided not to participate in July 15
talks organized by the League of Arab States between the TFG
and the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC). Farah explained that
the TFG was concerned about the accession of Sheikh Hassan
Dahir Aweys to replace Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed as head of
the UIC. From July 1-14, the UIC had captured Mogadishu's
airport, seaport, and other sites, thus violating the June 22
ceasefire agreement signed between the TFG and the UIC. Over
100 had been killed, and 500 wounded, as a result, he said.
Following these developments and the UIC's advance toward
Baidoa, the TFG had decided to "temporarily" suspend
participation in talks that were to be held in Khartoum,
while reiterating its commitment to dialogue. Acknowledging
the need to coordinate efforts among IGAD, the AU, and the
League of Arab States, Farah requested that IGAD members be
granted observer status at League of Arab States meetings on
Somalia. Farah reviewed previous AU and IGAD decisions
authorizing the deployment of an IGAD peace support operation
(IGASOM) in Somalia and requesting that the UN Security
Council modify the arms embargo on Somalia. Farah concluded
his presentation to the PSC by underscoring the legitimacy of
the TFG and its "sovereign right" to establish police forces
and an army to "preserve the charter, the laws of the land,
and unity of the country." END SUMMARY.


2. (U) Following his presentation to the PSC, Ambassador
Farah met separately with Charge, DCM, and poloffs to discuss
current political and military developments in Somalia,
prospects for the deployment of IGASOM to Somalia, and the
TFG's need for international assistance to build capacity,
including outreach to the Somali populace (reftel). As of
July 25, the AU PSC had not issued any new public statement
or communique on Somalia.


3. (SBU) Text of Somali Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent
Representative to the African Union Amb. Abdulkarim Farah's
July 24 presentation to the African Union Peace and Security
Council, as provided by Amb. Farah to DCM, follows below.

BEGIN TEXT.


SOMALIA: ONE PEOPLE; ONE COUNTRY

July 24, 2006

Excellencies,

I have the honor and privilege to address to Your
Excellencies this afternoon upon instructions of my
government and expressing first and foremost the deep
gratitude of the Somali people and government for the
unrelenting and continuous commitment of support that IGAD
member states, the African Union, the European Union, the
United Nations and the League of Arab States are showing to
consolidate the prospects of lasting peace and stability in
Somalia and the TFIs. It's also worth mentioning here our
unlimited appreciation for the attention and keen support
that the Peace and Security Council of AU devotes to the
problems of Somalia.

In recognizing these noble efforts and the concern constantly
displayed, the TFG of Somalia reiterates to Your Excellencies
its firm adherence to the principle of national dialogue to
solve whatever difficulties crop up in the process of state
institutions building to save Somalia from un-necessary
further bloodshed, perpetuation of civil-war and
institutional vacuum of the past years.

It is in this spirit, that the TFIs, out of goodwill, at the
highest institutional leadership level, has accepted the
invitation of H.E. Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, in his capacity as

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current Chairman of League of Arab States and as a brotherly
Head of State of the Republic of Sudan, to open dialogue with
the Union of Islamic Sharia Court (sic),though still in
their early inceptional stages in the political forefronts of
Somalia and despite their self proclaiming non-political
civil society character bent on crime combating, to secure
peace and stability to the urban societies of some parts of
the capital Mogadishu, with limited applicability confined to
un-armed minority communities of the country, unfortunately,
rather than serving the cause of justice and the need for
restoration of law and order in general.

It is worth mentioning that some of the notorious warlords in
the country, such as Yusuf Indha-Ade, who has been leading a
clan occupation and armed conquest politics in Lower Shabelle
Region, for almost twelve years, is accepted, surprisingly,
to be part of the Union of Islamic Sharia Court, as a cover
up, to enjoy impunity, relying on clan solidarity.

The blatant act deeply reveals the discriminatory and
unbalanced attitude of UISC in their fight against warlords
in the capital and its surroundings, let alone speaking about
suspects of international terrorist connected associates.

The path of reconciliation does not go through co-option of
such elements or groups, bur rather through reforms, non
expansion, redemption with renunciation of all forms of
violence and belligerence.

To shed more light on the whole situations, the TFG considers
the Mogadishu case as volatile and unsettled from the
political point of view, and it is more obvious than the UISC
is suffering from internal crises of leadership and lack of
homogeneity of political orientation, and is being used as a
cover up design for extremist groups linked to international
terrorist networks, who actually represent serious threats to
Somalia, the region and the international community as a
whole as records indicate.

What happened in the immediate aftermath of the signature of
the KHARTOUM DECLARATION OF COMMON GROUND between the TFG and
UISC is a clear proof of the correct assessment that TFG is
giving herein as an explanation, since the leader of the UISC
delegation in Khartoum was dismissed right after, and when
Hassan Dahir Aweis (sic),the declared leader of Al-Itihad
Al-Islami, described as an international linked terrorist
organization, operating in this sub-region and Somalia
specifically, as acceded to the top leadership of the UISC,
instead of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who was the much press
heralded spokesman of UISC, leaving all conclusions open for
everybody's guess.

This confirms that the situation remains fluid, tense and
predictable could trigger further bloodshed in the capital
and its surroundings, since the political repercussions are
still in the making and contending political leaderships are
taking shape within the same UISC umbrella, not to mention
the possibility of clan conflict renewal, stemming out of
such a situation, with all its political dimensions and
humanitarian damages.

In the light of this background and though being open for
positive contributions, the TFG feel obliged to state that it
is committed to the following three policy formulations in
its dialogue approach strategy:

A) Total respect for the outcome of the two years-long
IGAD-sponsored national reconciliation process and for the
legitimacy of the TFIs now in place and therein agreed,
beyond any doubt.

B) Total respect to the cardinal points of the DECLARATION
OF COMMON GROUND signed between the TFIs and UISC in Khartoum.

C) Total adherence to the principle of the dialogue with
UISC, as established by the IGAD special Foreign Ministers;
Council Meeting in Nairobi.

Due to the still fluid situation and political metamorphosis
occurring in the capital and its surroundings, and in

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consideration of the fact that the UISC has postured itself
as a replacement of the TFIs and expressed non-compliance to
the outcome of the national reconciliation process led by
IGAD and International community partners, and since UISC
still remains in pursuance of violence and non-cessation of
hostilities, and in consideration to the organically
inter-entangled political aspects of UISC leadership
structures up to now, causing great perplexity and
credibility confusion at local, regional and international
circles about the un-stable political evolutionary and
formative trends of UISC, the TFG totally declines to be
instrumental in encouraging emergence of new brand of
warlords or sub-clans power portrays (sic),to allow the
growth of extremisms (sic) and renewed inter-clan warfare of
any kind in Somalia.

The disarmament exercise claimed by UISC is more deceptive
than being credible, since the shift is from the warlord
sub-clan based possession of the arms to an equal clan-based
UISC.

It is our belief that the genuine disarmament program could
only be achieved through the implementation of the NSSP,
whereby the TFG and the international community can play the
central role, with the help of the deployment of Peace
Support Mission (PSM) led by AU and IGAD.

Excellencies,

UISC have signed ceasefire and non-cessation (sic) of
hostility agreement with TFG on 22nd June 2006 in Khartoum,
Sudan. Between 1st and 14 July 2006, UISC started capturing
more territory, like Mogadishu main airport, Mogadishu main
Seaport, and started war (against) those people in Mogadishu
who (are) opposing the Taliban style administration, and over
100 people been killed and 500 wounded, and UISC forces
started advancing towards Baidoa, the temporary seat of the
TFG, for invasion.

Therefore, the TFG temporarily drops its initial readiness to
participate at this stage, in the agreed second round
dialogue meeting scheduled to be held in Khartoum on 15th of
July 2006, since all substantive elements of the COMMON
GROUND DECLARATION AGREEMENT have been violated by UISC.

However, this will not compromise the TFIs strong willingness
to pursue the path of dialogue, following assurances that all
elements of constraint will be removed and constructive
approach, in all its components, will be adopted by UISC, in
order to save Somalia from recurrent inter clan blood letting
and true prospects open for the possibility of dialogue
resumption.

The TFG would like to underline (that) the agreed
coordination and common role of IGAD, the AU, and the League
of Arab States be fully respected. Consequently the TFG
would strongly insist that, since the LAS, as a partner of
IGAD, is allowed to assist IGAD forum meetings, as an IPF
observer; similarly IGAD member states should be given
equivalent right to have full observer status, within all
Arab League originating initiatives regarding Somalia,
without counteracting the IGAD primary role as far as
Somalia's peace process is concerned, as confirmed by the AU
and UN Security Council in all their deliberations of mandate.

In all these inter-connected multidimensional roles, the TFG
would like to underline that, the IPF status within IGAD
platform, how much supportive and friendly it is, should not
, however, confer outright prerogatives of dictate within the
established IGAD framework agreed partnership cooperation,
with overruling status to the TFI's decision-making instances.

Therefore, it would be inadmissible to accept that any
initiative or role could be undertaken as a substitute to
overall regional and sub-regional decisions vis-a-vis the
situation in Somalia and without taking into account the
political national stand of the TFIs as legitimate state
institution expression, with all constitutional attributed
prerogatives of a sovereign State.


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In this context, the deployment of a peace stabilization
mission in Somalia, as approved by TFIs is unrelinquishable,
and TFIs' Transitional Charter should remain the fundamental
basis, as accepted by the national all-inclusive plenary
delegates of the National Reconciliation Process (NRP) to
conduct any dialogue.

Excellencies,

I would like to recall IGAD and AU Decisions on the situation
on Somalia and in particular, the decisions by the Peace and
Security at its 29th meeting held on 12 May 2005, in which it
authorized the deployment of IGASOM to Somalia, as agreed
upon by the 24th ordinary session of the IGAD council of
Ministers held in Nairobi, on 17 - 18 March 2006 and
requesting exemption to the arms embargo imposed on Somalia
by UN Security Council Resolution 733 of 23 January 1992 to
facilitate the deployment of IGASOM.

I further recall the UN Security Council Presidential
Statement of 14 July 2005, 15 March 2006 and 13 July 2006, in
which the Council, inter alia, took note of the AU request
for the authorization of the exemption on the arms embargo,
and the Security Council expressed its readiness to be worked
out by AU and IGAD in close coordination with the broad
consensus of the TFIs and consistent with a national security
and stabilization plan (NSSP).

The ongoing developments in Somalia have far reaching
implications not only for peace and security in Somalia, but
also for the region as a whole; the challenges resulting
therefrom should not be underestimated.

Like any other situation, the new developments in Somalia
presents challenges, but also opportunities, to move the
peace and reconciliation process forward; accordingly no
effort should be spared (sic) to ensure that the window of
opportunity that exists now is fully exploited.

I also recall the communique of the IGAD council of ministers
meeting on 13 June 2006 held in Nairobi, the communique of
the International Somalia Contact Group of 15 June 2006 and
17 July 2006, and Peace and Security of the AU decision on 17
June 2006 and 19 June 2006, and declaration of the heads of
the African states in Banjul at the African Union Summit are
within the overall framework of the Transitional Federal
Government Charter.

Excellencies,

The Somali Transitional Federal Charter, Chapter X, Article
65, reads as follows:

"The Somalia Republic shall have a National Armed Forces
consisting of the army. The armed forces shall faithfully
abide and preserve the charter, the laws of the land, and
unity of the country. The law shall regulate the structure
and function of the armed forces and the system of
cooperation and coordination amongst them in the fulfillment
of their institutional duties."

Excellencies,

The need to restore basic security in Somalia to jump-start
law and order and reconstruction is (of) paramount concern to
Somalia and (the) international community until the
capacities and reliability of Somalia's security institutions
are sufficiently developed to sustain themselves. The
absence of the security institutions along Somalia's borders
and coastline 3300 km raises an obvious concern that domestic
radicals, international terrorists, waste dumping practices,
drug and narcotics movement, and arms proliferation may take
advantage to advance their agenda.

My government's priority it is to protect and secure its
borders and long coastline to tackle the above problems;
re-establishing Somali security institutions is a challenge
that requires recalling back former solders and police
officers, while new recruits come from DDR programs to
provide means of support to disarmament and demobilized

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ex-combatants.

It is important to reminded in this house that Somalia has a
legitimate Government, and, in line with the Transitional
Federal charter, has the sovereign right to establish, train
and equip its law enforcement agencies; therefore Somalia is
seeking your strong support and (that you) reiterate all your
decisions for an exemption of the UN arms embargo.

END TEXT.
HUDDLESTON