Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08PARIS1101
2008-06-11 06:04:00
SECRET
Embassy Paris
Cable title:
AL-SHABAAB: FRANCE OPEN TO SANCTIONS BUT NEEDS TO
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHFR #1101 1630604 ZNY SSSSS ZZH O 110604Z JUN 08 FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3334 INFO RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 1340 RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 0807 RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM PRIORITY 0350 RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM PRIORITY 0270 RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN PRIORITY 1569 RUEHDJ/AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI PRIORITY 0887 RUEHYN/AMEMBASSY SANAA PRIORITY 0220 RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 0426 RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 0247 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 2269 RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM PRIORITY 1632 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 1614 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 6932 RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 8864 RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 1537 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1527
S E C R E T PARIS 001101
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2018
TAGS: PTER ASEC PREL PGOV KCRM SO BG FR
SUBJECT: AL-SHABAAB: FRANCE OPEN TO SANCTIONS BUT NEEDS TO
STUDY ISSUE
REF: STATE 61215
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt,
1.4 (b/d).
S E C R E T PARIS 001101
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2018
TAGS: PTER ASEC PREL PGOV KCRM SO BG FR
SUBJECT: AL-SHABAAB: FRANCE OPEN TO SANCTIONS BUT NEEDS TO
STUDY ISSUE
REF: STATE 61215
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt,
1.4 (b/d).
1. (S) MFA Somalia Desk Officer Thierry Caboche on June 10
said, in response to reftel, that France would study further
our case for imposing UN sanctions on the al-Shabaab
organization based in Somalia. (NOTE: DAS-equivalent Helene
Le Gal our normal interlocutor on such an issue, is out of
town. END NOTE) Caboche said that France was very much
concerned about al-Shabaab, which he described as an
uncooperative party pertaining to regional peace and
stability issues. "This is not an organization we like at
all," he remarked.
2. (S) However, Caboche said that there were problem issues
that needed to be resolved. First, he said, while some of
al-Shabaab's leadership might have connections with al-Qaida,
it was not clear to France that the organization itself was
working with al-Qaida or other known terrorist groups. He
added that al-Shabaab seemed to engage in acts bordering on
terrorism, but that it may not have engaged in what is
commonly recognized as "terrorism" in the context of UN
sanctions. Second, al-Shabaab seemed to operate only in
Somalia, and therefore was perhaps not, strictly speaking, an
"international" entity against which UNSCR 1267 sanctions
might be appropriate.
3. (S) Caboche said he raised these issues not because he
had any sympathy for al-Shabaab but rather because they were
the types of issues that would need to be resolved at the UN
during the process of including al-Shabaab in the sanctions
list. He conceded that the points he raised were fine ones,
and he indicated that he and his colleagues would examine the
issue starting from a pro-sanctions posture. "We are open to
sanctions but must make sure that all questions and small
details are addressed as we move to include them in the
sanctions list," he noted. He said he would discuss the
issue further with the MFA's IO and Terrorism experts and
would try to follow-up with a timely response.
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Fran ce
STAPLETON
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2018
TAGS: PTER ASEC PREL PGOV KCRM SO BG FR
SUBJECT: AL-SHABAAB: FRANCE OPEN TO SANCTIONS BUT NEEDS TO
STUDY ISSUE
REF: STATE 61215
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt,
1.4 (b/d).
1. (S) MFA Somalia Desk Officer Thierry Caboche on June 10
said, in response to reftel, that France would study further
our case for imposing UN sanctions on the al-Shabaab
organization based in Somalia. (NOTE: DAS-equivalent Helene
Le Gal our normal interlocutor on such an issue, is out of
town. END NOTE) Caboche said that France was very much
concerned about al-Shabaab, which he described as an
uncooperative party pertaining to regional peace and
stability issues. "This is not an organization we like at
all," he remarked.
2. (S) However, Caboche said that there were problem issues
that needed to be resolved. First, he said, while some of
al-Shabaab's leadership might have connections with al-Qaida,
it was not clear to France that the organization itself was
working with al-Qaida or other known terrorist groups. He
added that al-Shabaab seemed to engage in acts bordering on
terrorism, but that it may not have engaged in what is
commonly recognized as "terrorism" in the context of UN
sanctions. Second, al-Shabaab seemed to operate only in
Somalia, and therefore was perhaps not, strictly speaking, an
"international" entity against which UNSCR 1267 sanctions
might be appropriate.
3. (S) Caboche said he raised these issues not because he
had any sympathy for al-Shabaab but rather because they were
the types of issues that would need to be resolved at the UN
during the process of including al-Shabaab in the sanctions
list. He conceded that the points he raised were fine ones,
and he indicated that he and his colleagues would examine the
issue starting from a pro-sanctions posture. "We are open to
sanctions but must make sure that all questions and small
details are addressed as we move to include them in the
sanctions list," he noted. He said he would discuss the
issue further with the MFA's IO and Terrorism experts and
would try to follow-up with a timely response.
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Fran ce
STAPLETON