FRANCE/DJIBOUTI: MFA COMMENTS ON DEVELOPMENTS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 006655 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2016 TAGS: PREL PINR ICJ DJ FR SUBJECT: FRANCE/DJIBOUTI: MFA COMMENTS ON DEVELOPMENTS IN BORREL CASE REF: A. PARIS 553 ¶B. PARIS 6177 Classified By: Acting Political Counselor Bruce Turner, 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (C) MFA Djibouti Desk Officer Francois Gautier on October 6 commented on the Borrel case and investigative judge Sophie Clement's recent decision to issue warrants against four Djiboutians for their alleged knowledge of or involvement in the death of French magistrate Bernard Borrel in Djibouti in 1995 (see ref A and October 2 Paris Points). Gautier confirmed that this was another independent action taken by the judiciary over which the GOF had little control, the latest in a series of judicial actions in the case. Gautier said that this development could complicate, but was not likely to create major problems in, France-Djibouti relations. The main complication would be the possible impediment to international travel by the Djiboutians against whom the warrants were issued, particularly Djibouti's Prosecutor of the Republic Djama Souleiman, who wanted to travel to the Hague for an October 16 ICJ hearing involving the Borrel case. ¶2. (C) Gautier said that the Djiboutian response to judge Clement's warrants had been "relatively calm" and that the Djiboutians were beginning to understand the degree of independence France's judiciary enjoys. However, their improved understanding did not eliminate their frustrations, Gautier remarked. Speaking candidly, Gautier (PROTECT FOR REMAINDER OF MESSAGE) indicated that he had some sympathy for Djibouti in this matter -- he noted the lack of finality in the case, the media's interest in dramatizing events and unfavorably depicting the GOF and Djibouti, the difficulty of disproving conspiracy theories, the franco-centric aspects of the case involving the judiciary's independence and the magistrate's union, and the criticism and possible ostracism investigative judge Sophie Clement would likely face if she dismissed a sinister, emotionally charged case involving the death of a fellow judge. ¶3. (C) Echoing his colleagues at the French Presidency's Africa cell (ref B),Gautier was clearly exasperated that this case had not gone away. While expressing sympathy for Mrs. Borrel and her attempts to remove the taint of suicide from her husband's death, Gautier said that after 10 years of unsubstantiated allegations and innuendo, this case should logically have run its course, one way or the other. He indicated that the GOF was taking care to avoid provoking the judiciary, so as not to make things worse. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm HOFMANN