SOMALIA/DJIBOUTI: MFA DAS PROVIDES OVERVIEW ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000908

SIPDIS

EUCOM PLEASE PASS AFRICOM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/12/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV PINR DJ SO FR
SUBJECT: SOMALIA/DJIBOUTI: MFA DAS PROVIDES OVERVIEW ON
MAY 7

REF: A. MAY 6 PARIS POINTS

B. PARIS 861

Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, 1.4 (b/d
).


1. (C) SUMMARY: MFA DAS-equivalent Helene Le Gal on May 7
provided succinct overviews of Somalia and Djibouti. On
Somalia, she said that the draft UNSC anti-piracy resolution
was running into opposition and that it might be best first
to adopt the UK's separate draft resolution, covering broader
Somali issues, and then work for adoption of the anti-piracy
resolution. France-Somalia relations had become closer as a
result of successful joint action against Somali hijackers of
the French vessel "Le Ponant." Nevertheless, the French are
reluctant to provide the type of military assistance Somalia
had requested during President Yusuf's recently concluded
visit. On Djibouti, Le Gal said the GOF continued to advise
Djibouti not to make an international case of Eritrea's
recent border incursion into Djibouti. END SUMMARY.

SOMALIA
--------------

2. (C) We met with MFA AF DAS-equivalent Helene Le Gal on
May 7 to discuss Somalia in the wake of TFG President Yusuf's
visit earlier in the week (see ref A). Le Gal began by
reviewing the status at the UNSC of the draft anti-piracy
resolution supported by both the U.S. and France. She noted
that opposition to the draft was starting to build. China,
Indonesia, and South Africa had begun to express concerns,
largely over what she described as "sovereignty" issues and
the question of setting a precedent by allowing potentially
excessively broad UN authorization to send warships into
areas plagued with piracy. Le Gal believed that these
concerns could be addressed but she acknowledged that
adopting the resolution would likely be more complicated and
time-consuming than originally believed. She noted that
South Africa had been suggesting that the anti-piracy
resolution be folded into the broader UK draft resolution on
Somalia. Le Gal said that instead, the Security Council
could adopt the UK draft first, and then adopt the
anti-piracy resolution. She thought that having the UK
resolution in place first might make it easier for doubters
to accept the anti-piracy text.


3. (C) Le Gal acknowledged that the recent piracy incident
involving the French vessel "Le Ponant" had brought Somalia
and France closer together. During Yusuf's visit, both sides
reiterated their appreciation of the other's cooperation
during the hijacking incident. Yusuf reassured the French
that Somalia had absolutely no problem with France's
prosecuting the six pirates in France. Le Gal confirmed that
France had agreed to double food aid to Somalia, to 7 million
euro.


4. (C) Le Gal confirmed as well that the GOF had refused a
Somali request that French troops stationed in Djibouti be
deployed to Somalia to help provide security. She said that
Yusuf had made another request for French help in training
Somali security forces that the French had to turn down, at
least for now. Le Gal said that the French responded
negatively but did not completely close the door -- "we said
'perhaps not now, let us think about it and see how things
go.'" Le Gal explained that France would have to consider
carefully any form of military or para-military assistance to
Somalia. She said that Somalia needed to carry out security
sector reform of its own. French training could not take
place in Somalia, given the lack of infrastructure,
functioning institutions, and overall instability. Le Gal
said that France could not provide training to anything that
smacked of being a "militia." Yusuf had asked that France
help train Somalia's Coast Guard, but Le Gal said that the
GOF had information indicating that the Coast Guard, or at
least some elements of it, were in league with the region's
pirates. It would be easier to work with the police, Le Gal
noted. In any case, the French would sit on these requests
for now but would consider changes in circumstances that
would make these training possibilities more feasible.

DJIBOUTI
--------------

5. (C) Le Gal limited her comments on Djibouti to its
dispute with Eritrea over the latter's incursion into

PARIS 00000908 002 OF 002


Djiboutian territory. Le Gal took the same position she had
on May 2 (ref B) -- that Djibouti should back off, respect
the fact that Eritrea had withdrawn, and not aggressively
pursue its claim of having been wronged. Djibouti had taken
the case to the UNSC, AU, and Arab League. Le Gal said that
in her view, the AU and Arab League responses had been
perfunctory -- the AU informed both sides that they could
present their cases, and the Arab League indicated it would
consider sending a mission to the region. Le Gal said the
Djiboutians had been phoning her "three times a day" and that
her message to them was to avoid raising tensions in the
region over an incident that had resolved itself peacefully.
She repeated that, while Ethiopia's border dispute with
Eritrea was long-standing, there appeared to be no historical
basis for a border dispute between Eritrea and Djibouti,
which was another reason that both sides should avoid turning
this episode into a real problem.



Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm

PEKALA