SOMALIA: UN SPECIAL REP CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL

UNCLAS LONDON 001666 SENSITIVE SIPDIS NAIROBI FOR SOMALIA SECTION E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS UNSC KPKO SO XW UK SUBJECT: SOMALIA: UN SPECIAL REP CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR DJIBOUTI AGREEMENT ¶1. (U) UN Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah called for the international community's support for the Djibouti Agreement between the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Alliance for Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) at a June 19 think-tank event in London. Defending the agreement, he called the TFG "a group that is considered legitimate by many of us and is therefore legal," and said it is normal to have "elements that oppose" the peace deal. He estimated that 75 to 80 percent of Somalis are represented by the two groups. ¶2. (U) Turning to the agreement itself, Ould-Abdallah said there are three core paragraphs. Paragraph seven calls for a UN stabilization force, re-deployment of Ethiopian troops from Somalia, and a cessation of violence; these three elements are inter-linked to "ensure there is no security vacuum." Paragraph eight is also linked to improving security; it calls for the establishment of a joint security committee. This committee, he suggested, should have national, regional, and local elements from both sides. Describing paragraph nine, he said the high-level political committee should be comprised of five to seven individuals from both sides who can deal with national issues. The committee is designed to help the parties become "familiar with political government management and is not a parallel government" and should be replicated at the local level as well. Learning political management of government will be a crucial element to the successful implementation of the peace agreement. ¶3. (U) The Special Representative acknowledged the Djibouti Agreement would be met with skepticism because of the history of peace deals in Somalia, but insisted that it could be successful with international support. He said it was now incumbent on the international community to "respond to the agreement." He highlighted resolving Somalia's debt issues and robust international participation at the conference on Somalia's reconstruction and development as two key initiatives, noting that the IMF and World Bank will be important players in Somalia's full-scale reconstruction. He also called for the international community to intervene immediately to stop the dumping of solid, chemical, and possibly nuclear waste in Somalia. The Djibouti Agreement is "part of the process" and resources must be mobilized immediately, including the relocation of the UN offices to Mogadishu, to ensure the process continues. Comment -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Earlier in the day, the Special Representative met with HMG officials, including FCO Minister for Africa Lord Malloch-Brown. Our FCO contacts tell us that the Special Representative's description of the background thinking on the Djibouti Agreement has allayed many of their concerns that the deal lacked "real substance." Although the UK has not yet determined its support, Ould-Abdallah's visit has certainly nudged their thinking forward. His thoughts on how and when to scale up the UN's presence in Somalia and on deployment of a UN peacekeeping operation will heavily influence the UK's support for such multilateral initiatives. End comment. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Unit ed_Kingdom TUTTLE