INFORMATION MINISTER FIRES LATEST SALVO IN GSE ANTI-USG

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000355

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D COPY CLASSIFIED BY STATEMENT

STATE FOR AF/PD - ROBERT DANCE
STATE FOR AF/PD - ANDRE JOHNSON

E.O. 12958: DECL. 04/18/2016
TAGS: KPAO SCUL PGOV PREL ER
SUBJECT: INFORMATION MINISTER FIRES LATEST SALVO IN GSE ANTI-USG
RHETORIC


Classified by AMB Scott H. DeLisi. Reasons 1.4(b) and (d)

1. (C) BEGIN SUMMARY. THE UNITED STATES IS "DEMONIZING" PRESIDENT
ISAIAS AFWERKI AND TRYING TO DESTABILIZE ERITREA, THE ERITREAN MINISTER
FOR INFORMATION ALI ABDU TOLD THE ACTING PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER DURING
RARE MEETING WITH AN AMERICAN OFFICIAL. THE MINISTER RULED OUT
COOPERATION ON ANY PUBLIC DIPLOMACY EFFORTS WITH THE UNITED STATES FROM
HIS MINISTRY OR THE ERITREAN GOVERNMENT DUE TO THE USG'S HOSTILITY
TOWARDS ERITREA AND PAST INTERFERENCE IN ERITREA'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS.
ALI ABDU DECLINED TO OFFER ANY EXAMPLES OF USG "DEMONIZATION" OF THE
PRESIDENT OR OF OUR "DESTABILIZATION" EFFORTS AND HE CONVEYED THE SENSE
THAT HE DID NOT BELIEVE HIS OWN RHETORIC. NONETHELESS, THE MESSAGE WAS
CLEAR AND WE CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT HE HAD AGREED TO THIS MEETING IN
ORDER TO CONVEY IT - IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH THE RECENT ESCALATION
IN GSE ATTACKS ON THE USG. TORN BETWEEN DESIRE FOR A BROADER USG ROLE
IN RESOLVING THE BORDER DISPUTE BUT FEARFUL THAT USG ENGAGEMENT MIGHT
SOMEHOW REWRITE THE EEBC DECISION IN ETHIOPIA'S FAVOR, THE GSE SEEMS
INTENT ON DOING SOME PRE-EMPTIVE DEMONIZATION OF ITS OWN - A COURSE
THAT IS MADE ALL THE EASIER GIVEN THAT IT CONFORMS WITH THE VIEWS HELD
BY MANY, ALTHOUGH NOT ALL, IN THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP. END SUMMARY


2. (C) MINISTER OF INFORMATION ALI ABDU USED A MEETING WITH EMBASSY
ASMARA'S ACTING PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER TO ACCUSE THE UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT (USG) OF DEMONIZING PRESIDENT ISAIAS AFWERKI, WORKING TO
DESTABILIZE THEIR COUNTRY, AND SIDING WITH ETHIOPIA IN THE PRESENT
BORDER DISPUTE. WHEN PRESSED BY A/PAO FOR SPECIFICS ON HOW THE UNITED
STATES HAD ENGAGED IN THESE ACTIVITIES, THE MINISTER SAID HE WOULD NOT
ELABORATE OR CITE EXAMPLES.


3. (C) ALI ABDU SAID THAT THE UNITED STATES HAD NOT LEARNED ITS LESSON
IN ERITREA AND HAS ALWAYS WORKED AGAINST HIS COUNTRY. HE CITED THE
USG'S LACK OF SUPPORT FOR THEIR LEGITIMATE REBELLION AGAINST ETHIOPIA (
COMMON THEME HERE) AND STATED THAT WE CONTINUE TO PROP UP A "CORRUPT
AND ILLEGITIMATE REGIME" IN ADDIS. THE MINISTER DISMISSED THE NEED FOR
EEBC MEETINGS IN LONDON OR FOR MEETINGS OF THE WITNESSES TO THE ALGIERS
ACCORDS, SAYING, "THIS ISSUE CAN BE RESOLVED HERE AND THE BORDER
DEMARCATED IN THREE WEEKS."


4. (C) BECAUSE OF WHAT HE CALLED A HISTORY OF THE USG WORKING AGAINST
THE GOVERNMENT OF ERITREA (GOE) AND A TRACK RECORD OF USING PUBLIC
DIPLOMACY INITIATIVES TO SPREAD LIES AND PROPAGANDA AGAINST HIS COUNTRY
HE RULED OUT ANY COOPERATION FROM HIS MINISTRY ON ANY PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
PROGRAMS. WHEN ASKED WHETHER HE BELIEVED COOPERATION COULD BE ACHIEVED
ON CULTURAL EXCHANGES, HE SAID THAT YOU COULD NOT "DEAL WITH THE FINGE
AND IGNORE WHAT'S BEING DONE TO THE REST OF THE BODY."


5. (C) STRIKINGLY, HOWEVER, THE MINISTER'S DEMEANOR BELIED THE FORCE
OF HIS RHETORIC. SEEMINGLY UNCONVINCED OF HIS OWN ARGUMENTS, HIS
CHARGES LACKED VIGOR AND HE WAS CLEARLY UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN PRESSED FOR
SPECIFICS OR JUSTIFICATIONS FOR HIS STATEMENTS. IN FACT, THE TONE OF
THE MEETING WAS SURPRISINGLY FRIENDLY DESPITE THE RHETORIC AND, AFTER
ACCEPTING A BOOK ON AMERICAN IMPRESSIONIST ART, HE SAID HE HOPED THE
TWO COUNTRIES COULD WORK TOGETHER SOMEDAY.


6. (C) COMMENT: THE MINISTER HAS DECLINED ALL ATTEMPTS BY EMBASSY
OFFICERS, INCLUDING THE AMBASSADOR, TO MEET WITH HIM OVER THE PAST TWO
YEARS. OTHER WESTERN MISSIONS HAVE HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCES. FOR HIM
TO AGREE TO A MEETING NOW, AT A TIME WHEN THE GSE'S ANTI-USG RHETORIC
HAS INTENSIFIED, IS NOT, IN OUR OPINION, COINCIDENTAL. INSTEAD, IT
APPEARS INTENDED TO SPECIFICALLY EMPHASIZE THE GSE'S ANTI-USG MESSAGE.
HOWEVER, FOR THE GSE TO HIGHLIGHT A THEME EMPHASIZING RESENTMENT AND
HOSTILITY AT A TIME WHEN THE UGS IS ACTIVELY AND CONSTRUCTIVELY ENGAGED
ON THE GSE'S KEY ISSUE - THE UNDEMARCATED BORDER WITH ETHIOPIA -- SEEMS
A FOOLISH STRATEGY AT BEST. IN THIS WE SEE ONE OF THE GSE'S
FUNDAMENTAL DILEMMAS; IT SEEMS TORN BETWEEN ITS DESIRE FOR A BROADER
USG ROLE IN RESOLVING THE BORDER DISPUTE ON THE ONE HAND AND FEARFUL OF
WHERE THAT USG ENGAGEMENT WILL LEAD ON THE OTHER. WORRIED THAT THE USG
IS SOMEHOW INTENDING TO EFFECT A PRO-ETHIOPIAN REVISION TO THE EEBC
RULING, THE GSE SEEMS INTENT ON DOING SOME PRE-EMPTIVE DEMONIZATION OF
ITS OWN. ALTHOUGH THE GSE'S APPROACH IS SHORT-SIGHTED AND ITS FEARS
MISPLACED, THIS APPROACH IS NOT SURPRISING -- ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT THE
ANTI-US RHETORIC SO FREELY DISPENSED IN RECENT WEEKS CONFORMS WITH THE
VIEWS HELD BY MANY, ALTHOUGH NOT ALL, IN THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP. END
COMMENT.



Classified by AMB Scott H. DeLisi. Reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
DELISI