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 ADDIS ABAB 00002042 002 OF 005 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 ADDIS ABAB 00002042 003 OF 005 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. ADDIS ABAB 00002042 004 OF 005 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 ADDIS ABAB 00002042 005 OF 005 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