SOMALILAND FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS UNSCR SHOULD

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 000420 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF AND AF/E LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER CJTF-HOA FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2017 TAGS: PREL PBTS KDEM EAID SO ET DJ KE UG EG SU SUBJECT: SOMALILAND FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS UNSCR SHOULD ADDRESS SOMALILAND REF: A. ADDIS ABABA 311 ¶B. ADDIS ABABA 68 ¶C. ADDIS ABABA 60 Classified By: DEPUTY POL-ECON COUNSELOR ERIC WONG. REASON: 1.4 (B),( D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. In a February 9 meeting with Ambassador, Somaliland Foreign Minister Abdillahi M. Duale underscored Somaliland's role in promoting regional stability, practicing democracy, and fighting terrorism, and announced that President Kahin would seek reelection. Duale expressed appreciation for U.S. engagement and donor assistance to both Somalia and Somaliland, and said the status of a detained Somalilander of interest to the USG should be resolved within days. Duale appealed for USG assistance to ensure that a draft UNSCR on Somalia, being prepared by the UK, call for "resolving the status of Somaliland through dialogue and the engagement of the African Union." On Somali reconciliation, Duale said Somaliland would prefer restitution of lands confiscated by Ayr sub-clan members, rather than compensation as espoused by Ethiopia. FM Duale discussed Somaliland's strained relations with Djibouti and Uganda, and sought U.S. help to soften Egypt's opposition to Somaliland interests, an appeal likely motivated by Somaliland's recent request for development assistance from the League of Arab States. END SUMMARY. -------------- -------------- UNSCR ON SOMALIA SHOULD ADDRESS STATUS OF SOMALILAND -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Expressing appreciation for U.S. engagement and donor assistance to both Somalia and Somaliland, Duale said efforts to free a detained Somalilander of interest to the USG (ref B) should be resolved within days. A USG delegation from Djibouti was now in Hargeisa. Duale said that Somaliland was promoting U.S. foreign policy, by practicing democracy and fighting terrorism. However, it had not received any "peace dividend," despite 16 years of democratic progress. Somaliland now needed job creation and economic development. "We can't eat democracy," Duale said. He noted that he would be meeting next with UK FCO Africa director Andrew Lloyd. ¶3. (C) FM Duale raised his government's concerns about public statements that threatened to impinge on Somaliland's sovereignty: -- Observing that the UK was preparing a draft UNSCR on Somalia, FM Duale appealed for inclusion of language that called for "resolving the status of Somaliland through dialogue and the engagement of the African Union." Somaliland valued inclusiveness; in contrast, Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) President Abdullahi Yusuf was focusing on the interest of the Darod clan, Duale said. Colonial-era boundaries and treaties should serve as the framework for talks between Somalia and Somaliland, he added. -- Duale criticized the TFG's announcement that it would open an immigration control office in Somaliland as an "outrageous provocation." Noting that the TFG was creating new passports, Duale observed that both he and Somaliland President Kahin traveled on Somaliland passports and had previously received U.S. visas in them. Duale expressed interest in negotiating visa reciprocity issues, during an official visit to Washington. Ambassador responded that such a visit would require careful preparation, as well as follow-up after its conclusion, to ensure success. ¶4. (C) Duale informed Ambassador that Somaliland President Kahin would pursue re-election in upcoming national elections, in order to provide "an element of continuity." Ambassador noted that the USG had previously issued an October 2005 statement congratulating Somaliland on the conduct of parliamentary elections. -------------- LANDS CONFISCATED BY AYR SHOULD BE RETURNED -------------- ADDIS ABAB 00000420 002 OF 002 ¶5. (C) Asked Somaliland's view on whether Somalilanders and others whose lands had been confiscated by Hawiye/Habr-Gedir/Ayr sub-clan members should receive either restitution or compensation (ref A),FM Duale rejected compensation as "bribery." "We need our properties back; we won't take the money," he said. Returning land confiscated from individual owners needed to be addressed first; government-owned properties, as well as debt forgiveness, could be addressed later in government-to-government talks, he said. Noting Somaliland's wealth, relative to Somalia, Duale observed that Somaliland had not participated in at least 16 previous reconciliation processes undertaken by Somalia, but had provided financial support. -------------- -------------- DIFFICULTIES WITH DJIBOUTI, EGYPT, ERITREA, AND UGANDA -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) Duale called for vigilance against Somalia's deposed Somali Council of Islamic Courts (CIC),and questioned why Djibouti had made such a "regional geo-political mistake" in seeking to support the CIC. Duale observed that he had first met Djibouti's President Guelleh in 1998, when Guelleh was receiving funds from Somaliland's Somali National Movement (SNM). Whereas Somaliland had previously enjoyed a cooperative relationship with Djibouti's intelligence service, and had earlier agreed to exchange diplomatic representatives, Djibouti had now "completed negated everything." Djibouti was "very hostile" in international fora, and Presidents Guelleh and Kahin were now no longer on speaking terms, Duale said. Even former FM Edna Adan Ismail, who traveled on a Djiboutian passport, had not been received by President Guelleh's wife or other Djibouti officials. ¶7. (C) Duale postulated that perhaps strained relations resulted from Djibouti's fear that economic competition from Somaliland's Berbera port would imperil Djibouti. In reality, port development could be complementary, Duale said, appealing for USAID assistance to promote phyto-sanitary standards in Berbera port facilities, as had been done in Djibouti, in order to promote the export of livestock. ¶8. (C) Reviewing other African countries' relations with Somaliland, Duale appealed for USG assistance to soften Egyptian opposition to Somaliland interests. Ambassador noted that the U.S. would hold bilateral talks with Egypt in October. Duale also expressed concern about Sudan, noting that many CIC leaders had been "heavily engaged" with Sudan and had trained there. Relations with Uganda FM Kutesa were "contentious," due to Ugandan support for Somali unity. ¶9. (C) Somaliland's late President Egal had tried to engaged Eritrea's President Isaias in January 1994, but found him to be "not stable," Duale said. Egal's attempt to draw parallels between Eritrea's relationship to Ethiopia, and Somaliland's to Somalia, had not been received well by Isaias. ¶10. (C) In contrast, Rwandan President Kagame and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles were both "on track," Duale said, and Kenya and Somaliland had agreed to exchange diplomatic representatives. (NOTE: Somaliland has established a 7-person diplomatic office in Addis Ababa, following the conclusion of talks with Ethiopia on cross-border cooperation. END NOTE.) Somaliland President Kahin was determining whether to attend Ghana's jubilee in March, Duale said, following visits to Burundi and Malawi. ¶11. (C) COMMENT: FM Duale returns to Hargeisa on February 10, following a nearly month-long personal campaign lobbying for recognition in west and southern African capitals (ref C). FM Duale's comments on the need to improve relations with Sudan and Egypt likely reflect his recent meeting with League of Arab States Secretary-General Amre Moussa to request development assistance from the League. END COMMENT. YAMAMOTO