Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ADDISABABA420
2007-02-09 13:59:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Addis Ababa
Cable title:  

SOMALILAND FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS UNSCR SHOULD

Tags:  PREL PBTS KDEM EAID SO ET DJ KE UG EG SU 
pdf how-to read a cable
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PP RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
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ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 091359Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4555
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
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).

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