SOMALIA: ARS CHAIRMAN OPENS DISCUSSIONS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DJIBOUTI 000613

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF, AF/E, AND INR/AA
CJTF-HOA FOR POLAD
LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA-WATCHER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/23/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO MOPS SO DJ ER ET
SUBJECT: SOMALIA: ARS CHAIRMAN OPENS DISCUSSIONS IN
DJIBOUTI BUT PROVIDES LITTLE DETAIL

REF: A. DJIBOUTI 388

B. STATE 73519 (NOTAL)

Classified By: ERIC WONG, CHARGE D'AFFAIRES, A.I. REASON: 1.4 (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY. ARS moderates led by Chairman Sheikh Sharif
Sheikh Ahmed are meeting in Djibouti from July 19-24 to
follow up on talks held under the auspices of the UN SRSG for
Somalia in May, and expect to issue a communique tomorrow.
On the eve of the conclusion of this ARS General Assembly,
Sheikh Sharif rejects as "illegal" recent announcements that
Hassan Dahir Aweys has been appointed ARS Chairman in Asmara,
noting that the majority of ARS central committee members are
in Djibouti. Sheikh Sharif provided little information on
the current status of internal ARS deliberations. Instead,
he emphasized the need for Ethiopia to withdraw from Somalia;
the need for international peacekeepers from countries "close
culturally" to Somalia; and the need for continued
humanitarian assistance from the international community. As
"technical details" of cease-fire implementation and
monitoring, as well as political reconciliation, remain
ambiguous, hopes for achieving an enduring peace in Somalia
remain fleeting. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) Charge and Emboffs met on July 23 with Sheikh Sharif
Sheikh Ahmed (DPOB: 01 Jan. 1966, Jowhar, Somalia),Chairman
of the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS).
Sheikh Sharif was accompanied by four members of the ARS
Central Committee: Abourahman Mohamoud Farah (DPOB: 01 Jan
1963 El Bur, Somalia); Mohamed Hassan Ali (AKA Daryeel)
(DPOB: 27 Oct. 1970, Djibouti); Mohamed Cheikh Hassan (DPOB:
12 Oct. 1954, Kismayo, Somalia); and Ahmed Hassan Gabobeh
(DPOB: 01 Jan. 1958, Mogadishu, Somalia). Sheikh Sharif
spoke in Somali, with English interpretation by Mohamed
Hassan Ali.

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"ILLEGAL" APPOINTMENT OF AWEYS AS ARS HEAD
--------------


3. (C) Responding to recent press reports that Hassan Dahir
Aweys had been elected head of the ARS following a meeting in
Asmara, Sheikh Sharif condemned the announcement as
"illegal," as there was no quorum of ARS members in Asmara.
The appointment of Aweys reflected the will of the Eritrean
government, not the will of the Somali people, he said. Some
106 members of the ARS were in Djibouti to attend the July
19-24 ARS General Assembly, whereas those remaining in Asmara
totaled 31 or fewer, and would leave Asmara "sooner or later."


4. (C) Sheikh Sharif asserted that the ongoing ARS talks in
Djibouti were going well, but provided few specific details.
Following the anticipated release of a communique following
the assembly's closure on July 24, some ARS Central Committee
members would travel to Somalia to sensitize the populace,
while others would travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Working
with the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS),other ARS
members, he said, would address "technical details" of
cease-fire implementation and monitoring, as well as
political reconciliation.

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CONTINUED EMPHASIS ON ETHIOPIAN TROOP WITHDRAWAL
-------------- ---


5. (C) Sheikh Sharif highlighted the need for strong
engagement by the international community to address three
priorities: effecting the Ethiopian military's withdrawal
from Somalia and its replacement by UN peacekeepers;
providing humanitarian assistance; and supporting peaceful
reconciliation. "The main concern is Ethiopia" and the peace
process, he said. "If addressed properly," other issues
could be worked out. Those who opposed the peace process
were "spoilers." Questioned about ARS discussions of a
timetable or conditions for Ethiopia's withdrawal from
Somalia, Sheikh Sharif said only that some ARS members
doubted that Ethiopia would withdraw its troops; terms would
be discussed by the relevant committee. Asked whether the
ARS had consulted bilaterally with potential troop
contributing countries, Sheikh Sharif responded that
replacement troops (i.e., serving in a UN peacekeeping
operation) should be "close culturally" to the Somali people,
as discussed with the UNPOS.


DJIBOUTI 00000613 002 OF 003



6. (C) At the same time, he said, the ARS was urging the
Somali people to unite and to continue reconciliation, in
order to create a government of national unity and to "give
hope to the people." Working with business leaders, elders,
and clan leaders, the ARS needed to "capitalize on the will
of the majority" and to "create a system" that addressed the
current political and security vacuum, he said. Asked
whether the ARS was representative of all clans, Sheikh
Sharif asserted that the majority were Darod. The ARS was
comprised of four primary groups: members of the former
Union of Islamic Courts, "free" parliamentarians, the Somali
diaspora, and intellectuals. The ARS focused on "who can
contribute," not on clans per se, he said.


7. (C) Asked whether the ARS would allow "spoilers",
especially those facing international charges, to be
surrendered to international authorities, Sheikh Sharif said
the issue would have to be addressed through continued
discussions. The ARS expected "some resistance," he added,
as some individuals used Ethiopia's military presence in
Somalia as "a pretext" for their own actions. On ARS views
of Somaliland, Sheikh Sharif acknowledged that Hargeisa
authorities had "created stability," but said that they "can
not stand separately."

--------------
ARS WELCOMES SUPPORT FROM THE USG
--------------


8. (C) Sheikh Sharif welcomed what he said was a change in
U.S. policy, and called for continued diplomatic, political,
and economic support from the USG. The U.S. could play two
key roles, he concluded: (1) addressing humanitarian needs,
such as the food crisis, and (2) delivering a message to
Ethiopia, in regional and international arenas, that Ethiopia
needed to withdraw from Somalia.

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ECHOES THEMES OF JULY 19 OPENING CEREMONY
--------------


9. (U) Sheikh Sharif underscored similar themes in his
address at the July 19 opening ceremony of the ARS General
Assembly, held at the Government of Djibouti's "Palais du
Peuple," a Chinese-built auditorium. An audience of
approximately 170 attended the opening ceremony; speakers
included ARS Central Committee Chairman Sharif Hassan Sheikh
Aden, Sheikh Sharif, the French Ambassador to Djibouti
(representing the European Union),and Palestine's
representative (dean of Djibouti's diplomatic corps, who
announced that the Arab League would try to provide funds for
Somalia's humanitarian needs). Somali poet Mahamud Abdullah
Isse, a fugitive who fled from Minnesota and is wanted on
charges of sexual misconduct with a child (REF B),delivered
an oration in Somali that was warmly received.


10. (U) In his July 19 opening remarks (delivered in Somali
with simultaneous English interpretation),Sheikh Sharif
said the purpose of the ARS was to reverse the "illegal
occupation of Somalia by Ethiopian troops, through all legal
means." The ARS had not only succeeded politically in
condemning "this illegal occupation," but had also succeeded
militarily, he asserted, pausing to recognize the families of
fallen "martyrs." The crux of the Djibouti agreement reached
in May was that Ethiopian troops should leave Somali
territory, to be replaced by international peacekeepers from
countries "that know about Somali culture;" furthermore,
Somalis should unite to discuss peaceful reconciliation.
This agreement had been followed by "debates, discussions,
and clarifications" among ARS members in Sana'a, where a
13-person committee had been established. The purpose of the
July 19-24 General Assembly in Djibouti was to implement the
May agreement; the ARS was also "asking our brothers from
Asmara to debate these points."


11. (U) Somalis needed a government that "helps people
alleviate their pain: people shouldn't come to us, we should
go to the people." Decrying ongoing killings and abductions
(especially of civilians and international aid workers),he
underscored the need for Somalis to unite to find common
ground. Lack of security hampered humanitarian assistance,
and the rising price of commodities was a burden for the ARS.
Somalia was plagued by destruction of property, internal
displacement, and counterfeit currency. Health facilities

DJIBOUTI 00000613 003 OF 003


and schools were closed; many schools had been destroyed or
"used as bases" by Ethiopian troops. Asserting that the ARS
wanted peace, Sheikh Sharif said it would be "a historic
breakthrough" if those who had brought Ethiopian troops to
Somalia effected their withdrawal. Many opportunities had
been wasted in the past; if the TFG was ready for peace, "we
are ready for it."


12. (C) COMMENT. As a seeming advocate of peaceful
reconciliation and humanitarian assistance for Somalia,
Sheikh Sharif is far more palatable an interlocutor than
al-Qaida-associated Hassan Dahir Aweys. However, as his
public and private comments underscore, effecting Ethiopia's
military withdrawal from Somalia remains a key priority for
the ARS. In the absence of any timetable for Ethiopian
withdrawal, and the inability to field a UN peacekeeping
operation expeditiously, Sheikh Sharif's moderates will face
increasing pressure and risk losing popular support to more
extremist hardliners. END COMMENT.
WONG