SOMALIA: UNSC SANCTIONS AND PIRACY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001721

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/15/2018
TAGS: PREL UNSC EUN MOPS SO FR
SUBJECT: SOMALIA: UNSC SANCTIONS AND PIRACY

REF: PARIS 1718

Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Kathleen Allegrone, 1.4 (b/
d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: MFA Somalia desk officer Thierry Caboche
said on September 12 that France favored a 12-month time
limit to the UNSC Somalia sanctions resolution now under
consideration in New York, to allow the Security Council to
maintain closer supervision over the sanctions process than
would the Sanctions Committee. On the piracy issue, he
expected that the EU, at its GAERC meeting on September 15,
would agree to the creation of a coordination cell that would
coordinate EU members' contributions to anti-piracy patrols
near Somalia. This arrangement could later evolve into a
full ESDP mission, with the coordination cell becoming an
operational control center. Although several EU members had
expressed interest in participating in the patrolling,
Caboche said that none so far, including France, had
identified and committed specific vessels or new assets to
the task. Caboche reported that the recently hijacked French
ship remained anchored just offshore Somalia's Cape
Gwardafuy, and had not been moved to Eyl, as was earlier
believed. He reported that the two French citizens held
hostage were in good condition. END SUMMARY.

UNSC Sanctions
--------------

2. (C) We met with MFA Somalia desk officer Thierry Caboche
on September 12 to review Somalia-related developments,
beginning with the French desire to include in the UNSC
sanctions resolution under review in New York a 12-month time
limit to the resolution. We noted that this had not featured
in earlier resolutions. Caboche said that France wanted this
provision to allow the Security Council to maintain closer
control over the sanctions process, which France believed was
desirable given the turbulent nature of Somali politics, its
many shifting alliances, and the need, therefore, for the
Security Council to be able to step in periodically (i.e., on
a yearly basis),review developments, and make adjustments as
necessary. Caboche said that if this provision were not
included, management of the sanctions issue would devolve to
the UN Sanctions Committee, where everything had to be
decided on a unanimous basis. The need for unanimity, in
France's view, often led to decisions that were either "black
and white" or else bland, as a result of having to seek a
lowest-common-denominator position acceptable to all members
of the Committee. He stressed that France's position was
based on the belief that it was better to increase the
Security Council's ability to control and supervise the
process.

Piracy
--------------

3. (C) Caboche said that EU thinking on anti-piracy
patrolling in the waters around Somalia was proceeding, with
EU ministers expected to approve, at the EU GAERC meeting on
September 15, the creation of a coordination cell for
anti-piracy patrolling. Caboche expected this measure to be
approved without debate. Spain would command the cell at
this stage, with a French deputy and a staff of "two or
three." The cell would provide coordination services only,
and would not serve as an operational command center.
Operational command would rest at the national level, with
each contributing country controlling its own ships.
Patrolling would consist of three general missions: (1)
patrolling in the Gulf of Aden, where the French believed the
center of pirate activity had now shifted; (2) protecting
World Food Program ships operating farther to the south; and
(3) protecting commercial fishing farther offshore to the
southeast. Caboche said that Spain was interested in the
fisheries protection mission.


4. (C) Caboche said that several EU members (Greece,
Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, and France) were
interested in participating but that none had made a firm
offer to contribute patrol vessels. Caboche said that France
was strongly interested and would "participate in the
program" but he could not say whether any French ships had
already been assigned a mission. He said that "we have
plenty of ships available, so we shouldn't have a problem,"
but he again declined to be specific. He noted that the
Canadian operation to escort WFP ships would end before the
end of September and that no follow-on force was yet in
place. (NOTE: See reftel, para 5, where another MFA
official says that initial patrolling will be conducted by a

PARIS 00001721 002 OF 002


French ship and a Spanish ship. END NOTE.)


5. (C) Some EU members, while agreeable to the creation of
the coordination cell, would prefer that the EU mission
function as a full ESDP mission from the inception. However,
Caboche said that mounting a full ESDP mission would take
time because of the many financing and chain-of-command
issues that would have to be arranged. France wanted to have
something in place as soon as possible, hence the
coordination cell relying on national services for
operational command. He thought that once the coordination
cell got off the ground, the move to a full ESDP mission
could take place within the next few months. (NOTE: Caboche
did not raise the issue of potential NATO coordination with
an ESDP anti-piracy mission. END NOTE.)

Latest Hijacking
--------------

6. (C) Caboche said that the most recent hijacking of a
French vessel involved a sailboat operated by a husband and
wife team in their 60s who were trying to sail from Australia
to France. They were seized off the coast of Somalia in the
Cape Gwardufy area. There were initial indications the ship
would be taken to Eyl, but Caboche said that the ship
remained anchored offshore near Cape Gwardafuy, quite close
to the coast ("several hundred meters"). He said that the
GOF had had contact with the couple being held hostage and
that they seemed to be in good condition. The kidnappers
were demanding a ransom in the USD 1.5 million range.
Caboche said that "other French services" were managing the
hijacking problem, including possible rescue operations, but
he said he was not in a position to provide details, nor was
he able to say whether the GOF was communicating directly
with the hijackers.





Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Fran ce

STAPLETON