AU SUMMIT: ETHIOPIA FOREIGN MINISTER HIGHLIGHTS

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 ADDIS ABABA 000327 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF AND AF/E LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER CJTF-HOA FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/03/2017 TAGS: PREL EAID MOPS SO ET ER IT SA AU SUBJECT: AU SUMMIT: ETHIOPIA FOREIGN MINISTER HIGHLIGHTS SOMALIA DIPLOMACY REF: ADDIS ABABA 311 (NOTAL) Classified By: AMBASSADOR DONALD YAMAMOTO. REASON: 1.4 (B),(D). ¶1. (S) SUMMARY: Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum advised Assistant Secretary Frazer on the imperative nature of the international community to commit resources to help Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) stabilize Somalia. He stressed the urgency and the importance of ensuring a successful outcome of the upcoming national reconciliation talks called by TFG President Yusuf, as well as of continuing pressure on Yusuf to reach out to key clans, particularly the Ayr sub-clan, which will help build support for the TFG. Seyoum remarked that property and land ownership remains one of the most difficult problems to be resolved before there can be true reconciliation. The Foreign Minister strongly recommended that the international community establish a trust fund to be used to pay compensation to clans who lost property to other clans during the years of internal fighting. Finally, on Eritrea, the Foreign Minister said that Ethiopia will continue to take a defensive posture, despite Eritrea,s provocative incursions along the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) and attacks on the border. END SUMMARY. -------------- SUCCESSFUL AU, BUT SOMALIA REMAINS KEY -------------- ¶2. (C) Assistant Secretary Frazer, accompanied by AF Special Assistant Fatuma Sanneh and Ambassador Yamamoto (note-taker), met Foreign Minister Seyoum January 31 to review the results of the January 29-30 African Union Summit. Both hailed the successful result of the election of Ghanaian President Kufuor as the new AU Assembly Chairman for the year, avoiding a contentious showdown with Sudan. Foremost on Ethiopia's mind, however, is Somalia. The Foreign Minister remarked that success in Somalia lies in the TFG and specifically President Yusuf reaching out to the other clans. International support and pressure were important to keep the TFG on course, he said. The Foreign Minister welcomed President Yusuf's call for a national reconciliation conference, and said it would be an important and essential step towards stabilizing Somalia. Seyoum cautioned, however, that Yusuf must reach out to the clans prior to the conference to ensure its success. Thus, international pressure on Yusuf and, more importantly, international resource commitment to pay for the conference, would help reconciliation. Some 2,000 clan elders, civil society leaders and businesspeople will participate. -------------- AMISOM AND DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS -------------- ¶3. (C) FM Seyoum detailed Ethiopia's efforts to gain European and African Union support for the establishment of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Italy had been hesitant to support AMISOM, but was now taking a deeper interest and, hopefully, would support AMISOM financially and politically, Seyoum said. To bring Italy on board, Ethiopia had encouraged Italy to engage in the political stabilization of Somalia. Italy was now involved in developing a roadmap for peace in Somalia with the TFG, Seyoum added. Ethiopia had worked with President Yusuf to agree to cooperate with Italy on this effort. Seyoum was hopeful this would ensure Italy's support for AMISOM. ¶4. (C) Asked about coordination between Ethiopia and Ugandan forces, FM Seyoum noted that Ethiopia would play an active role in the planning, and that Ethiopian forces (ENDF) would work closely with Ugandan and other AMISOM troops to ensure a smooth transition into Mogadishu and other areas of Somalia for the troop-contributing countries. -------------- AYR COULD HOLD THE BALANCE -------------- ¶5. (C) Foreign Minister Seyoum noted that in the national ADDIS ABAB 00000327 002 OF 003 reconciliation process, the Hawiye/Habr-Gedir/Ayr sub-clan held the key to peace, particularly in Mogadishu, where the Ayr took lands from other clans in order to control southern Mogadishu. The Foreign Minister stressed that to secure the Ayr sub-clan,s support for the TFG, the issue of property must be resolved. The Ayr supported the Council of Islamic Courts (CIC),but would support the TFG if they could keep the land they now held without returning it to other clans. The Ayr argued that in many cases they were retaking land originally owned by the clan, he said. But, years of fighting and change of landownership had made it difficult to return property to the original owner, Seyoum noted. The solution was compensation. Many clans would accept money in exchange for giving up rights to lands held by other clans. In the case of the Ayr, it feared that the TFG might try to repossess Ayr-held land. This was the main reason for their hesitancy to join the TFG, Seyoum said. Compensating other clans and allowing the Ayr to keep their property would significantly enhance support for the TFG. ¶6. (C) The Foreign Minister urged the international community to finance a trust fund to pay for the compensation. This gesture, the Foreign Minister suggested, would also ensure the success of the upcoming national reconciliation conference. By eliminating a major roadblock, the question of property ownership, compensation would help support stabilization in Somalia. -------------- KENYA, YEMEN, SAUDI ARABIA -------------- ¶7. (C) Asked about Kenyan-Ethiopian relations, Seyoum reaffirmed that ties were excellent at the national leadership level. However, at the working level there are some challenges. He noted that Kenya had a challenge ensuring that its interagency process worked to support President Kibaki. Internal rivalries and disagreements made it difficult for Foreign Minister Tuju to discipline the Kenyan bureaucracy to support national goals and objectives, Seyoum said. ¶8. (C) The Foreign Minister suggested that it would be good for former CIC Executive Committee Chairman Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed to go to Yemen. He discounted the concern that Yemen would be a center for the CIC to reconstitute itself and pose a renewed threat to the TFG. Seyoum praised Yemen as a strong supporter of the political process in Somalia. ¶9. (S) Seyoum noted that at the AU summit, there was open criticism of Saudi Arabia. African states, Seyoum said, blamed Saudi Arabia's avoidance of addressing extremism and radical elements in Saudi society as a problem fueling international jihadism. Seyoum said the U.S. was the only country which could convince Saudi Arabia of the importance of addressing this problem, which affected the security of Saudi Arabia and the region. -------------- ERITREA -------------- ¶10. (S) Seyoum assured the Assistant Secretary that Ethiopia maintained a defensive posture against the spreading incursions into all areas of the TSZ by Eritrean forces, and in response to increased attacks and aggressive action by Eritrean forces along the border. Ethiopia had not reacted to the killing of Ethiopian nationals along the border by Eritrean troops, Seyoum said, and would continue to try to protect its people. ¶11. (S) COMMENT: Both Foreign Minister Seyoum and Prime Minister Meles assert that Ethiopia's role in disbanding and neutralizing Council of Islamic Courts and extremist elements in Somalia has been successful. While they look to the international community to stand up an AMISOM force to help stabilize Somalia and support institution-building, it is clear that Ethiopia will remain in Somalia to help support AMISOM. While it has already withdrawn one-third of its ADDIS ABAB 00000327 003 OF 003 troops, and another third is due to withdraw soon, Ethiopia may maintain troops to support TFG security and AMISOM forces. Ethiopia is committed to making AMISOM work. The Ethiopians want the job done now to avoid having to return to Somalia at a later time. END COMMENT. ¶12. (U) A/S Frazer cleared this cable. YAMAMOTO