A/S FRAZER TO EU: U.S. SUPPORTS MISSION TO CHAD/CAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 003489 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2017 TAGS: PREL AF EUN SUBJECT: A/S FRAZER TO EU: U.S. SUPPORTS MISSION TO CHAD/CAR Classified By: Deputy Pol MinCouns Vincent Carver for reasons 1.4 (b) a nd (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: In a series of meetings with EU officials Dec. 6-7, A/S Frazer expressed U.S. political support for the planned EU military mission to Chad and the Central African Republic. The Director for Defense Aspects of the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) said the U.S. could assist deployment of the currently under-funded and under-equipped EU Force to Chad/CAR by rallying political support in the UN for MINURCAT, the UN follow-on mission to the EU Force, and by lobbying EU Member States to offer helicopters and financing. A/S Frazer also briefed contacts at the Council Secretariat and European Commission as well as select SIPDIS Political and Security Committee (PSC) ambassadors on the Secretary's recent meetings in Addis on issues in the Great SIPDIS Lakes, Somalia and Sudan. End Summary. ¶2. (C) In a meeting Dec. 7, Claude-France Arnould, Director for Defense Aspects of ESDP, proposed an ambitious agenda for EU-U.S. cooperation on political-military issues. She said U.S. support will be crucial in obtaining final UN approval for MINURCAT, the UN mission that is to replace the EU mission after one year. Arnould said the planned EU Force is stalled because EU Member States are not committing the necessary equipment and financial support. She noted that Germany's attitude has been particularly troublesome because it will contribute neither troops nor additional funding. Reasons include Germany's general reluctance to engage militarily in the world, and the view of Germany's Ambassador to Chad who believes the force will simply aid the "no good" Deby regime, Arnould said. Member States like Hungary, Slovakia, and the Baltics would prefer to see the EU engage in conflicts closer to home, such as Georgia, instead of going all the way to Africa, she added. ¶3. (C) In addition to the issue of financing and materiel, Arnould said the EU mission to Chad/CAR has a symbolic problem at the moment because it will primarily be composed of French troops, which makes it more of a French mission than an EU mission. She asked A/S Frazer if the U.S. would consider financing third countries to participate in the EU Mission. A/S Frazer said the U.S. might be able to assist with training and preparing African troops, but Arnould said President Deby would likely reject African troops. He already had turned down the EU's request to include Moroccans in the EU force, she said. Arnould predicted that the Dec. 14 European Council meeting will include an attempt by President Sarkozy to convince Chancellor Merkel and PM Brown to more fully support the EU mission. She asked for the U.S. to continue stressing its support for the EU Mission to Chad/CAR in its discussions with EU Member States. ¶4. (C) Other potential areas of U.S.-EU pol-mil cooperation raised by Arnould included the following: regular contacts between EU and AFRICOM officials as AFRICOM develops; continued videoconferences between Washington and Brussels; and possible placement of a U.S. liaison for civilian and humanitarian aspects of the EU Mission to Chad/CAR. A/S Frazer expressed general support for Arnould's proposals and agreed to follow up through USEU. ¶5. (C) In separate meetings with Council Secretariat and Commission officials and PSC Ambassadors, A/S Frazer briefed on Secretary Rice's recent meetings in Addis with the Tripartite Plus heads of state, and ministers from Somalia and Sudan. In particular, she urged consideration of having the UN take over the financing of AMISOM so that peacekeepers can deploy to Somalia. She said Ethiopia is growing weary of the long wait for AMISOM deployment and is looking at alternatives such as quickly training military and police forces from Somalia's Transitional Federal Government. On the issue of the Great Lakes, EU Envoy to the Great Lakes Roeland Van De Geer told A/S Frazer he had received reports that rebel leader Laurent Nkunda was in Rwanda for a medical check-up. A/S Frazer said she doubted this was true and that she had just seen President Kagame and was certain that, if true, he was unaware of Nkunda being in his country. ¶6. (U) A/S Frazer has cleared this report. MURRAY .