SOMALIA - PM and President Disagree on Cabinet

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 002652 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR AF/E AND A/S FRAZER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL SO SUBJECT: SOMALIA - PM and President Disagree on Cabinet REF: A) Nairobi 2520 B) Nairobi 2643 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. In a November 16 press conference, Transitional Federal Government (TFG) Prime Minister Hassan Hussein "Nur Adde" announced the new cabinet members he submitted to President Yusuf (see paragraphs 6-8). President Yusuf has rejected the Prime Minister's cabinet on legal grounds. There are no members of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS),as this interim cabinet would be in office only until a unity government is formed. At his announcement, the PM stated that President Yusuf rejected the list in a bid to "block the peace process." While the parliament has not convened in weeks because many of its representatives remain in Nairobi, they are expected to return to Baidoa in the coming days. Many expect that once the MPs arrive, they will convene a session to ratify the new cabinet, even without Yusuf's approval. Still others suggest that the parliament may move either to impeach President Yusuf, or end the tenure of the Prime Minister on the one year anniversary of his appointment. END SUMMARY. -------------- President Rejects the Cabinet Appointments -------------- ¶2. (SBU) To implement Article 13 of the October 29 IGAD agreement calling for the appointment of a cabinet, the PM developed a slate along the 4.5 formula for clan representation, but only replaced the ministers who resigned in August over a political dispute between the PM and President Yusuf. PM Nur Adde retained his eight key allies on the cabinet, three of whom are from the PM's own Hawiye clan, two who are Digil and Mirifle, and one from the Dir clan whose power-base is in Somaliland. President Yusuf has unequivocally rejected this list and the PM's selection process as "illegal" (Ref B). The Prime Minister, working with a block of parliamentarians, is said to be planning to use the 1960 constitution to ratify the new cabinet even without President Yusuf's approval. ¶3. (SBU) Despite meeting in London, being summoned by Ethiopia (though never meeting face-to-face in Addis),President Yusuf and PM Hussein have failed to reach an agreement on the new cabinet. Although President Yusuf still has not agreed to the new composition of the cabinet, on November 16, the Prime Minister called a press conference in Nairobi and named a new cabinet. ith the media, the PM spoke brazenly against President Yusuf accusing him of personally blocking Somalia's peace process. The PM's public statements directly antagonized President Yusuf who struck back with his own accusations in the press. -------------- Currying Parliamentary Support -------------- ¶4. (SBU) At a meeting with 175 MPs loitering in Nairobi after the October IGAD summit, the Prime Minister may have jumpstarted a protracted campaign to impeach President Yusuf. Some MPs have told us that the Speaker of Parliament, who is in Baidoa, has agreed to table the impeachment motion as soon as the MPs return. President Yusuf is also wooing MPs, possibly with money he reportedly collected during meetings with the Libyan and Sudanese governments. We understand that President Yusuf's strategy is to press parliament to schedule a hearing in Baidoa marking PM Hussein's one year anniversary in office. At this hearing, one of Yusuf's advisors told us, the PM will be forced to "answer for his failings and illegal use of power. At that time, it will be clear that he will have to go." ¶5. (SBU) It is impossible to predict which way the parliament will move. Indications are that even with cash in hand, President Yusuf may have lost most of his support. If PM Hussein is successful at getting his cabinet through parliament, it will signal a significant coup for the embattled Prime Minister. If ratified, the Prime Minister's new cabinet will replace the ten ministers and three deputy ministers who reportedly resigned and add fourteen new deputy ministers. Thus the cabinet would increase from 23 (18 ministers and five deputy ministers) to 36 (18 ministers and 18 deputy ministers). The composition of Nur Adde's proposed cabinet follows in paragraphs 6-8. -------------- Some Ministers Retained Their Positions -------------- NAIROBI 00002652 002 OF 003 ¶6. (SBU) Minister who retain their positions include: -- National Security and Internal Affairs Minister Muse Nur Amin (Hawiye/Galje'el) -- Finance and Planning Minister Mohamed Ali Hamud (Digil Mirifle/Mirifle) -- Air and Land Transportation and Ports Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Habsade (Digil and Mirifle/Mirifle) -- Agriculture, Water and Rural Development Minister Mustafa Ali Duhulow (Hawiye/Murasade) -- Labor and Social Affairs Minister Abdiaziz Hassan Muhamad -- Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Minister Hussein Muhammad Muse -- Minister of Health Abdalla Haji Ali (Dir/Isaq) Also remaining is Ahmed Abdisalan Adan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Information, Youth Affairs and Sports (Hawiye/Habar Gedir/Ayr). Adan is a key embassy contact, a Djibouti Process leader, and staunch ally of PM Hussein. Adan will likely continue his important work on the reconciliation process he began in Mogadishu that culminated in the November 23 establishment of a Banadir Region administration (septel). -------------- PM Proposes Ten New Ministers -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Prime Minister Hussein has posed several allies, but also many who made the list are staunch Yusuf supporters who have been closely allied to the TFG President for years. The PM's proposed new (and not-so-new) faces include: -- Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation: Ahmed Mohamud Goonle (Darod/Dulbahante) - A former banker, Goonle maintains a low profile in parliament. Formerly a Yusuf ally, he now backs the Prime Minister. -- Defense: Abdalla Boos Ahmed (Dir/Isaq). Ahmed served as state minister and deputy minister in Gedi's cabinet. He is a High Level Committee leader and a well-regarded political strategist with a background in marine studies. He opposes Somaliland independence, despite his being from the region. -- Reconciliation, Regional Development and Federal Affairs: Abdiwahid Elmi Omar (Darod/Marehan). A former MP who was expelled from parliament by Yusuf in 2006, Elmi did not accompany the "free parliament" to Asmara. He is closely allied with former speaker Sharif Hassan Adan. -- Trade, Industry and Tourism: Abdirahman Osman Dirir (Dir/Gadubirsi). Dirir served as state minister and deputy minister under Gedi and is a close Yusuf ally. He has finance experience and was a senior banker during the Siad Barre regime. -- Justice and Religious Affairs: Ismail Abdi Mohamed (Digil and Mirifle/Garre) - A diplomat in the Siad Barre regime, he last served in Baghdad as deputy consul. This would be his first ministerial appointment. Mohamed opposed Yusuf over Gedi's forced resignation. -- Education and Culture: Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail (Dir/Biyamal) -Ismail was the first TFG Foreign Affairs Minister. He is a parliamentary rules expert (serving as translator/rapporteur under Siad Barre),is respected and popular among MPs, and is regarded by most as a "liberal." -- Mineral and Natural Resources: Abdirahman Jama Abdalla (Darod/Warsangeli). Abdalla was among first ministers to rebel against Gedi and resigned as minister in protest of the former PM. He worked closely with President Yusuf during his tenure as Puntland President. -- Public Works, Housing and Reconstruction: Ibrahim Habeb Nur (Hawiye/Hawadle). Nur was one of the founders of United Somali Congress (USC),a Hawiye-based political organization largely responsible for dislodging Siad Barre from Mogadishu. Known for his pro-Hawiye activism, Nur was a military intelligence officer under Siad Barre and is a stanch critic of President Yusuf. -- Gender Development and Family Affairs: Fahma Ahmed Nur (minority clan - Banadiri). The only woman to be named in this cabinet, Nur served as Deputy Minister of National Security and Internal Affairs since the inception of the TFG. A pragmatic lawyer, her loyalties lie with the regime in power. --- Post and Communications: Ahmed Sheikh Mohamed "Lahos" (Darod/Ogaden). Lahos was military colonel in the Siad Barre regime. -------------- For Each Minister, a Deputy -------------- NAIROBI 00002652 003 OF 003 ¶8. (SBU) In this new cabinet, the propose number of deputy ministers swells the cabinet from 23 to 36, with one deputy for each ministry. Only one deputy minister retained his position -- Deputy Minister Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdikarim Ahmed Ali (Hawiye/Gugundabe). The other proposed deputy ministers are: -- Mohamud Mohamed "Vekiyo" (Darod/Lelkase) - Finance and Planning; -- Ismail Hassan Mohamud "Timir" - Constitution and Federal Affairs; -- Hassan Maalim Hussein - Public Works, Housing and Reconstruction; -- Mohamed Sheikh Yusuf - Justice and Religious Affairs; -- Bashir Mohamed Adan - Education and Heritage; -- Ibrahim Isaq Yarow - Information, Youth Affairs and Sports; -- Abdirashid Mohamed Hiddig - Trade, Industries and Tourism; -- Mahamud Barre Hassan - National Security and Internal Affairs; -- Salad Ali Jelle - Defense; -- Yusuf Gelle Ugas - Transport, Air and Ports; -- Husein Osman Husein - Mineral and Natural Resources; -- Ali Hasan Bullow - Agriculture, Water and Land Development; -- Hasan Ibrahim Mohamed "Japan" - Posts and Communications; -- Ibrahim Ali Salah - Health; -- Abdi Omar Ahmed "Ana-nug" - Livestock, Fisheries and Marine; -- Mohamed Mahamud Adan "Indha-gelle" - Labor and Social Services; and -- Jamilo Said Muse - Gender Development and Family Affairs. RANNEBERGER