BLUNT TALK WITH YEMANE GEBREAB ON TERRORISM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASMARA 000958

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2017
TAGS: PREL PTER ER
SUBJECT: BLUNT TALK WITH YEMANE GEBREAB ON TERRORISM


Classified By: Ambassador Ronald K. McMullen for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d
)


1. (C) Summary: The Ambassador and DCM met with Yemane
Gebreab, chief political advisor to President Isaias, and
delivered an unambiguous, tough message about the potential
consequences of Eritrea supporting, or allowing its territory
to be used to support, extremists with links to terrorism.
Yemane said Eritrea wants to see a secular, unified Somalia,
is against terrorism, has many common interests with the
United States in counter-terrorism and other fields, and
hopes to find ways to cooperate with the United States. He
allowed that since August he has "never felt more
pessimistic" about relations with the United States. He
shared his assessment of dynamics in Somalia, Ethiopia,
eastern Sudan, South Sudan, and Darfur. End Summary.


2. (C) Empty Building, Full Discussion
--------------

The ambassador and DCM called on Yemane Gebreab, political
chief of the regime's mass organization, the People's Front
for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ),on December 19. The
meeting was held in the deserted PFDJ headquarters in Asmara;
Yemane had forgotten it was the Id al-Fitr national holiday
but didn't want to break the appointment after it had been
made. He met alone with the ambassador and DCM for over an
hour. Yemane said he would be willing to discuss the full
range of regional and bilateral issues, a departure from his
recent hesitancy to discuss with the embassy anything
unrelated to Sudan. He was thoughtful and relaxed throughout
the conversation, and spoke English fluently.


3. (C) Straight Talk on Terrorism
--------------

Yemane started by noting that the United States and Eritrea
shared many values and interests, adding that relations had
been very good in the 1991-97 period and could be again. He
said that "for some reason, the United States has chosen to
see Eritrea as an enemy," commenting that he saw no
justification for the hostility. The ambassador said
anti-American Islamist radicals operating in Somalia and
elsewhere constituted a direct threat to the United States
and American interests in the region; reports by the United
Nations Monitoring Group and others that Eritrea was
providing assistance to them were viewed with the utmost
seriousness by U.S. officials. The United States was
considering officially identifying Al-Shabaab as a Foreign
Terrorist Organization; should the USG at some point
determine that any country, including Eritrea, was providing
assistance to Al-Shabaab, that country could find itself on
the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Such a designation
would have substantial, long-term consequences for the
designee. Yemane listened attentively and without
interrupting.


4. (C) On Somalia
--------------

"Eritrea has no interest in supporting or promoting Islamic
extremists in Somalia," Yemane declared. He said Eritrea had
previously offered counter-terrorism help to the United
States on Somalia, but that the current U.S. approach to
Somalia is "counter-productive" to the objectives of
America's Global War on Terror. He said Eritrea has long and
intimate links with Somalia and wants to see the emergence of
a secular, united, and peaceful Somalia. Given the "current
political geography," it was likely that the eventual Somali
government would be somewhat Islamic in character, although
"Al-Shabaab is not the future of Somalia." He averred that
the CIC members in Asmara were moderating their positions.


5. (C) On Ethiopia
--------------

The ambassador tried to get Yemane to talk specifics on the
border issue, particularly to press on GSE views on the Pasco
initiative and the status of the Temporary Security Zone.
Yemane didn't bite, saying only that "for Eritrea it's not a

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border dispute, it's a matter of national survival." He
said, with a trace of a smile, "my personal preference is for
Ethiopia to keep many troops in Somalia for as long as
possible," but said more seriously that a lasting solution to
Somalia would be good not only for Somalia, but for Ethiopia,
Eritrea, and the United States as well. He said there is no
reason that Eritrea couldn't have normal relations with
Ethiopia and for the United States to be friends with both
Ethiopia and Eritrea.


6. (C) On Sudan
--------------

Yemane revealed that representatives of Sudan's Eastern Front
would be in Asmara "next week" and wondered if embassy
officials would like to meet with them. Yemane noted that
there is peace in eastern Sudan, the EF leaders have taken up
their allotted seats in Khartoum, and that some integration
of forces has gotten off to a sputtering start, but he
nevertheless seemed concerned about the pace and depth of the
implementation of the peace accord. He said the "Eastern
Front is a very weak coalition, politically" and commented
that the badly needed development assistance (totaling USD
120 million annually) promised in the peace accord has only
begun to trickle into the desperately poor region. When the
ambassador said he had met the newly arrived SPLM
representative who has opened an SPLM office in Asmara,
Yemane reaffirmed Eritrea's long and friendly relationship
with the SPLM. Regarding Darfur, Yemane said the recent
talks in Sharm el-Sheikh had not led to any concrete
agreement, but opined that another Arusha-like meeting
sometime in the future might be helpful. He also noted that
the fissiparous Darfur rebel groups had recently had some
constructive discussions in Juba.


7. (C) Comment: That Yemane met the ambassador and DCM on
Id al-Fitr (and thus with no Eritrean note taker or batman
present) probably enabled him to absorb the ambassador's
unvarnished comments on terrorism thoughtfully and without
the need to be seen vigorously counter-punching to defend any
sense of affronted Eritrean honor or face. Informed
observers in Asmara tell us Yemane Gebreab is unique among
the regime's inner circle in that Isaias occasionally listens
to his counsel and sometimes allows him to say "no," whereas
all others are expected to respond with a reflexive "yes
sir." End Comment.
MCMULLEN