FRENCH UPDATES ON COUNTER-PIRACY; EU COORDINATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001753 SIPDIS PM FOR GLANCY AF/RSA FOR BANDO PM FOR ACTION TEAM/ISO EUR/RPM FOR CHISHOLM EUR/WE E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2018 TAGS: PREL FR EUN SUBJECT: FRENCH UPDATES ON COUNTER-PIRACY; EU COORDINATION CELL OPERATIONAL TODAY REF: STATE 100149 Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Kathleen Allegrone for reas ons 1.4 b and d. ¶1. (C) Summary. France has not yet identified another nation to take over escorting World Food Program shipments (which the French call "Operation Alcyon") once Canada's scheduled escort duty stops on September 27, according to MFA desk officers Samer Melki and Guillaume Dabouis during a September 18 meeting. Melki advised that starting next week, one French ship will be devoted to anti-piracy, but that the ship could be involved in any one of three possible missions competing for its support, including WFP escort duty, protection of fishing vessels, and keeping open Gulf of Aden shipping routes. Melki and Dabouis said the EU's four-person coordination cell is scheduled to become operational on September 19. Melki said that French Presidency has affirmed the principle of complementarity: France will welcome contributions in any forum that complement existing efforts, noting that new initiatives should bring additional resources. Melki said that the French have affirmed this position with European partners, recognizing that some (such as Germany) may still fear that planning a possible NATO mission would negatively impact the EU mission already underway by coopting the naval assets under consideration. He reiterated that France's goal is essentially pragmatic, i.e., to have as many assets as possible deployed to the region as quickly as possible to combat piracy in the region. Note: Post has also transmitted the formal demarche in reftel and will provide any further response as it becomes available. End Summary. -------------- WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: NO SOLUTION YET -------------- ¶2. (C) On September 18, MFA desk officers Samer Melki and Guillaume Dabouis said France has not yet identified another nation to take over escorting World Food Program shipments (which the French call "Operation Alcyon") once Canada's scheduled escort duty stops on September 27. Recent consultations with the Canadian Embassy in Paris have produced no sign Canada is willing to extend. None of the countries that had previously expressed interest have made a firm commitment, leaving the question open for now. When queried about the French ship Birot, which Post understands may be scheduled to transit in parallel with the next WFP shipment, Melki said he had no immediate information about such operational questions, but would consult with the MOD and provide feedback. He emphasized that the French position so far has been to focus on demarching other possible contributors, as France has already once served as an escort for the WFP. Melki said France might be interested in pursuing coordinated demarches with the U.S. to any third countries that might be identified as potential contributors; Dabouis specifically mentioned Japan, India, and South Africa as other countries with naval assets in the region. -------------- FRENCH CONTRIBUTIONS AND GOALS -------------- ¶3. (C) Melki advised that starting next week, one French ship will be devoted to anti-piracy, but that the ship could be involved in any one of three possible missions essentially competing for its support: WFP escort duty; protection of fishing vessels; and keeping open Gulf of Aden shipping routes. He said no decision has been made yet, to the best of his knowledge, but that recent incidents underscore the importance of protecting both fishing vessels and Gulf of Aden routes - suggesting that the WFP might not be the highest priority. He said that in any case the decision would be political, high-level, and possibly last-minute. Melki emphasized that the French goal is to identify with partners as many assets as possible in order for the international community to effectively address the three-pronged piracy challenge. -------------- EU EFFORTS PROGRESSING -------------- ¶4. (C) Melki and Dabouis said the EU's four-person coordination cell is scheduled to become operational on PARIS 00001753 002 OF 002 September 19. The initial coordination effort will focus on the one French vessel and, according to rumors Melki reported from MOD channels, one Spanish plane (reportedly a P-3 Orion surveillance plane). The chains of command will remain national, while the central coordination will have a broad scope: contact with ship owners, contact between the operational community and Secretary-General Solana's staff, and serving as a clearinghouse to identify needs and match them with available resources. Melki noted that the cell could coordinate participation by any third countries, not just EU member-states. The French are continuing to demarche European countries on resources they could contribute, as well as to build political support for expansion to a formal ESDP mission. Melki noted that other EU members such as Germany and the Netherlands, as well as Sweden, are interested in contributing but need a formal ESDP mission to provide the legal authorization. In that regard, the September 15 GAERC approval of a "Strategic Military Option" is a useful first step towards a formal ESDP mission. He noted that Spain was very interested initially in protecting fishing vessels, but has not yet confirmed the participation of any specific ship. If Spain does contribute a ship, which presumably would be devoted to protecting the fishing fleet during the fishing season, the question remains of whether it would be made available for other counter-piracy efforts in the off season. A credible EU mision would need a minimum of 3 ships to cover the three mission areas. Despite shortfalls in the near-term, he personally is reasonably optimistic in the medium-term because so many EU member-states have expressed interest in principle. -------------- POSSIBLE ROLE FOR NATO -------------- ¶5. (C) Melki said that French Presidency has confirmed the guiding principle of complementarity: France will welcome contributions in any forum that complement existing efforts, noting that new initiatives should bring additional resources. Melki said that the French have affirmed this position with European partners, recognizing that some (such as Germany) may still fear that planning a possible NATO mission would negatively impact the EU mission already underway by co-opting the naval assets under consideration. France does not oppose studying options at NATO, as long as they take into consideration existing EU efforts to act in complementarity. Melki stressed that there is "room for everyone" on this multi-faceted issue that spans a large geographic area. -------------- THE UN REMAINS KEY -------------- ¶6. (C) When asked about press reports that France will introduce a UN resolution on piracy, Melki said the UN's continued engagement is critical on two fronts. First, he stressed that the EU coordination cell would not, and is not intended to, substitute for efforts led by the UNSYG to institutionalize implementation of resolution 1814, with its specific provisions for WFP support. Secondly, he said a new French resolution would build on resolution 1816, dealing with piracy more broadly, to reaffirm the concerns it expresses, note the aggravation of the situation (more sophisticated means, greater distances, and more violence), and encourage member-states to take appropriate action. Melki specifically said that France would welcome a mechanism under UNSYG auspices to permanently implement resolution 1814/Operation Alcyon. He reiterated that France's goal is essentially pragmatic, i.e., to have as many assets as possible deployed to the region as quickly as possible to combat piracy throughout the region. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Fran ce PEKALA