SOMALI SHEIKH HASSAN DAHIR AWEYS MEETS WITH DUTCH

S E C R E T ASMARA 000764 SIPDIS SIPDIS LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/26/2017 TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC ER SO SUBJECT: SOMALI SHEIKH HASSAN DAHIR AWEYS MEETS WITH DUTCH Classified By: CDA Jennifer A. McIntyre, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S) On September 26, Netherlands Embassy First Secretary, Robert Lanschot met with CDA and Poloff to share the details of his conversation the week previous with Somali Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys. Lanschot approached Aweys on September 14 at the closing ceremony of the Somali congress held in Asmara. Lanschot had not received (nor had he sought) permission from The Hague to speak with Aweys. ¶2. (S) In the conversation, Aweys spoke proudly of his military experience and claimed he was an old man who no longer had a desire for power. He told Lanschot he had come to Asmara from Somalia to participate in the Congress; however, he had no intention for Eritrea to become his official residence. (Note: Lanschot added that in a separate conversation with MP Hussein Aideed, Aideed said that the Eritreans and other Somalis had advised Aweys not to "overstay his welcome and embarrass his hosts, the Eritreans." Lanschot said Aideed had indicated that the both groups were gun-shy about Aweys staying on too long, given his listing on the UN and U.S. terrorist lists. End Note.) Aweys also told Lanschot, that since this last winter, he has traveled to Libya, Egypt, Djibouti, United Arab Emirates and Sudan. Presently, he stays in a rented private home in Asmara with nearly 30 members of his extended family who accompanied him to Eritrea. ¶3. (S) Aweys told Lanschot he "had done nothing wrong" and that he "was not a terrorist." "If," he offered, "my deep love for Islam makes me a terrorist in the eyes of others ...," then so be it. He further attested that the U.S. Government has "nothing on him" and that all of the "evidence" comes from Ethiopian President Meles Zenawi. He called himself a nationalist and claimed that he was trying only to achieve safety for the Somali people with the establishment of the Council of Islamic Courts, an objective the international community should appreciate. Aweys further explained that the rules imposed by the CIC had been established to restore order and were based on customary Somali law. ¶4. (S) Comment: Lanschot's meeting was the only known meeting by Western diplomats in Asmara with Aweys. Lanschot said The Hague had offered no response to his report on the meeting, neither scolding nor commending him. In Asmara, news of Lanschot's meeting and his attendance at the closing ceremony was the cause of much anger among his fellow European Union members. One EU Ambassador was particularly angry as he felt the meeting gave Aweys legitimacy and completely disregarded the consensus reached by the EU Heads of Mission in Asmara about interaction with the Somali representatives. In addition another EU Ambassador shared with CDA that the press in Eritrea, including the Eritrean state owned media and the foreign correspondents present during the congress, had been explicitly instructed by the Government of the State of Eritrea(GSE) not to report on Aweys' stay in Eritrea. Reportedly, two of the foreign correspondents who had not received the initial instructions were taken to task by the GSE for their reports on Aweys. End Comment. MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. MCINTYRE