TANZANIA: PRESIDENT KIKWETE ON DEPLOYMENT TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAR ES SALAAM 000158

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LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/02/2017
TAGS: PREL KPKO MARR SU KE TZ
SUBJECT: TANZANIA: PRESIDENT KIKWETE ON DEPLOYMENT TO
SOMALIA AND DARFUR

REF: A. STATE 011794


B. DAR ES SALAAM 0126

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission, D. Purnell Delly for
reasons 1.4(b,d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. President Kikwete has made clear his
preference for building capacity within the Somali TFG
military over actual deployment of Tanzanian forces as part
of a peacekeeping mission. He intends to train up to 1,000
members of the Somali military (and Somali intelligence) over
the next year, and requests U.S. assistance with uniforms and
equipment. Kikwete has also reaffirmed his commitment to
Darfur, but only as part of a UN force, not AMIS, and in a
stable rather than warring environment. If any future hybrid
or UN force is in the middle of a shooting war in Darfur,
Tanzania would be reluctant to deploy. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) In the past seventy-two hours the Ambassador has
sought to clarify where Tanzania stands on possible
deployment to Somalia and Darfur. In contacts with the
Defense Minister, Deputy Permanent Secretary at MFA, and
State House, we now have the lay of the land on these two
issues, as well as areas where A/S Frazer may wish to place
emphasis while she is in Dar es Salaam on February 9 (see
Para. 5)

SOMALIA
--------------

3. (C) In a February 1 meeting with his new Foreign Minister,
Bernard Membe, and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)
Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Charles Sanga,
President Kikwete made clear that, while Tanzania does not
intend to deploy troops to Somalia at this time, it does want
to take a lead role in developing capacity with the TFG
military; specifically, by training 1,000 entry-level
officers in Tanzania over the next year. (Comment: Tanzania
already takes an active training role within SADC.) Sanga
told the Ambassador February 2 that President Kikwete had
also said training would extend to the TFG intelligence
services. At the same time, Kikwete has requested whatever
support the U.S. could provide to either of these training
efforts, including uniforms and equipment.

DARFUR
--------------

4. (C) Tanzania,s position has not changed on Darfur: Once
the peacekeeping operation is a UN-hatted force, Tanzania
will consider deployment. However, relations are strained at
the moment between Sudan and Tanzania, stemming in part from
Kikwete,s vocal opposition within the African Union, both in
January 2006 and at the recent summit in Addis Ababa (January
29 to 30),to Sudan,s campaign for the chair (Ref B).
Tanzania believes militia supported by the Sudanese
government might single out Tanzanian forces and put them at
greater risk. In short, Tanzania does not want to find
itself in a peace enforcement (rather than peacekeeping)
operation in Darfur.

COMMENT
--------------

5. (C) We suggest A/S Frazer may wish to consider the
following approach to President Kikwete when she sees him in
Dar es Salaam February 9 for a meeting of the International
Contact Group on Somalia:

-- Push gently for a firmer commitment on Darfur.
Tanzania,s position on peacekeeping has evolved rapidly (and
in the right direction) since Kikwete was inaugurated in
December 2005. We believe it will continue to evolve,
particularly as Kikwete looks ahead to possible chairmanship
of the AU next year. With countries like Nigeria and Rwanda
so actively engaged in peacekeeping deployments, we think
Kikwete will be looking for opportunities to establish
Tanzania,s own peacekeeping credentials in some way. But he
is right in saying his forces need both training and
equipping.

-- Point out that any commitment to Darfur (or Somalia)

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would trigger USD 1 million in equipment assistance for each
battalion deployed. The Tanzania People's Defense Force
(TPDF) has repeatedly asked for such assistance.

-- Stress that the December 2006 ACOTA strategy conference
in Dar es Salaam was a success, with strong turnout on the
Tanzanian side, but that we still do not have a formal green
light from the Government of Tanzania (GOT) to initiate the
first phase of actual battalion training (for the first of
three battalions),tentatively scheduled for March 12 to May
26, 2007. If we do not get that green light soon, this date
will have to slip. If the training gets underway on schedule
in mid-March, the TPDF would have three battalions fully
trained in peacekeeping by March 28, 2008.
RETZER