FORMIN DLAMINI-ZUMA TO LEAD AU MISSION TO COMOROS

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRETORIA 002247 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2017 TAGS: PREL KDEM CN SF SUBJECT: FORMIN DLAMINI-ZUMA TO LEAD AU MISSION TO COMOROS REF: ANTANANARIVO 0615 Classified By: Political Counselor Raymond Brown. Reasons 1.4(b) and ( d). ¶1. (C) ForMin Nkozasana Dlamini-Zuma will lead an African Union delegation to the Comoros June 23-24, 2007, according to Department of Foreign Affairs Director Graham Maitland (protect). The Dlamini-Zuma trip follows the AU Ministerial Committee of the Countries of the Region on the Comoros, held June 19 in Cape Town (reftel),which declared the June 10 Anjouan election "null and void" and called for new elections. Maitland, who will travel with Dlamini-Zuma, told PolOff June 21 the delegation will arrive in Comoros the evening of June 23, and expected to meet with President Sambi and Anjouan island "President" Bacar on June 24. ¶2. (C) The goal of Dlamini-Zuma's mission is to resolve the Anjouan election standoff peacefully, Maitland said. He suggested, however, that the electoral dispute is symptomatic of larger political problems in the Comoros that will not be easily solved. Maitland expressed his personal frustration with the lack of commitment among all the political forces in Comoros, including President Sambi, to resolve conflicts and move the country forward. ¶3. (C) Defense Minister Lekota told A/S Frazer in Cape Town June 19 that they were watching the situation in Comoros closely and were preparing for a possible peace stabilization operation. Institute for Security Studies (ISS) military analyst Henri Boshoff told PolOff June 21 that his sources told him no South African military deployment was "imminent," but that they were planning for possible operations. Bost