Secretary Rice's April 23, 2008 meeting with

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 050798

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2018
TAGS: OVIP PREL PGOV EAID
SUBJECT: Secretary Rice's April 23, 2008 meeting with
Somalia President Adbullahi Yusuf Ahmed


1. (U) Classified by AF A/S Jendayi E. Frazer, Reason 1.4
(d).


2. (U) April 23, 2008; 11 a.m.; Washington, DC.


3. (SBU) Participants:

U.S.
The Secretary
Deputy Secretary John D. Negroponte
A/S Sean McCormack, PA
PDAS Linda Thomas-Greenfield, AF
Special Envoy for Somalia John Yates
Nole Garey (Notetaker)

Somalia
President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed
Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Jama
Permanent Representative to the UN Elmi Ahmed Duale
Permanent Secretary Mohamed Abdirizak (Translator)



4. (C) SUMMARY. During a 40-minute meeting with
Secretary Rice, Transitional Federal Government (TFG)
President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed outlined his program for
achieving lasting peace and stability in Somalia and
highlighted his commitment to move forward with dialogue
with the opposition, scheduled to begin in Djibouti on May

10. Yusuf requested U.S. assistance in building the
capacity of the TFG, restoring Somalia's membership in the
World Bank, facilitating deployment of a United Nations
(UN) peacekeeping operation in Somalia, lifting the UN
arms embargo on Somalia, and countering piracy in Somali
territorial waters. Yusuf also asked the Secretary to
reach out to key Arab partners, specifically Saudi Arabia,
the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, and encourage them
to provide financial support for the TFG and the African
Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Secretary Rice
reaffirmed U.S. support for deployment of a UN PKO in
Somalia under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and agreed to
examine options for building the capacity of the TFG and
its instituions. END SUMMARY.

TFG Plan of Action - Dialogue and Security
--------------


5. (C) Yusuf opened the conversation by outlining the
TFG's program for achieving lasting peace and stability in
Somalia, including efforts to engage in political dialogue
"on the one hand" and a focus on improving security,
including protection of civilians, on the other. Noting
that Somalia was emerging from more than seventeen years
of civil war, Yusuf emphasized that the two processes are
inter-linked and cannot be separated. Following the
establishment of the TFG three and a half years ago, Yusuf
characterized the current conflict in Somalia as an
"ideological war" rather than a clan conflict, specifying
the combatants as al-Qaida and its allies in Somalia, such
as al-Shabaab. Yusuf characterized the terrorist and
extremist elements in Somalia as "weakened" but still able
to cause problems for the TFG and undermine broader
efforts to move forward on a political process.


6. (C) On the issue of dialogue, Yusuf said the TFG had
previously undergone a "civilian" dialogue process through
the National Reconciliation Congress held in Mogadishu in

2007. Yusuf confirmed that the TFG is now getting ready
to enter into dialogue with the armed opposition, with
talks beginning in Djibouti next month and hopefully
concluding in Saudi Arabia. Yusuf emphasized his
government's willingness to "talk to all and not refuse
anyone," although he noted that some within these groups
are opposed to peace and will refuse to engage in
discussions with the TFG. Yusuf said the TFG is making
this offer of dialogue to all opposition groups in the
interest of establishing peace, which will allow the
extremists to self-select out of the process.


7. (C) In addition to the dialogue process, Yusuf outlined
other important elements of the TFG's strategy, including
reestablishment of effective security forces, building the
governance capacity of TFG institutions, and continuing
the transitional process towards national elections in

2009. Yusuf also noted the humanitarian situation and the
current drought that is affecting much of Somalia. Yusuf
acknowledged that "some accuse the TFG of violating human
rights," but questioned the accuracy of those allegations,

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saying "this is our people and we will protect their
rights." On the transitional political process, Yusuf
outlined the remaining tasks, including drafting of a new
constitution, establishment of federal regions and a
system of federal governance under the TFG, conducting a
census and referendum on the new constitution, as well as
the national elections currently scheduled for December

2009. Yusuf told the Secretary that the TFG planned to
present a draft of the constitution to the TFG Parliament
for debate in July 2008.

YUSUF - SEEKING U.S. SUPPORT
--------------


8. (C) Seeking assistance in this "tall order," Yusuf
appealed to the Secretary for support in building the
capacity of the TFG, particularly in the area of human
resources and technical advice and assistance, restoring
Somalia's membership in the World Bank, facilitating
deployment of a UN peacekeeping operation in Somalia, as
well as lifting the UN arms embargo on Somalia and on
counter-piracy efforts. Yusuf said he planned to visit
London and Paris after leaving Washington to reiterate
these requests with other members of the UN Security
Council. Yusuf also asked the Secretary to weigh in with
key Arab partners, specifically Saudi Arabia, the United
Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, to provide financial support
for the TFG and AMISOM. Yusuf complained about Qatar's
negative role in Somalia, although the Secretary cautioned
Yusuf not to "give up" on Qatar. Yusuf conveyed his
belief that the United States is trying to help in
Somalia, but stressed the need for greater U.S. support in
the areas of security and capacity-building.


9. (C) The Secretary responded by reaffirming the U.S.
desire to achieve lasting peace and stability in Somalia
after many years of civil conflict, as well as her own
personal belief that there continued to be an opportunity
to achieve this objective in Somalia. The Secretary also
noted Yusuf's influential role in setting Somalia in the
right direction and establishing the foundation for a
successful political process. The Secretary commented
that the program outlined by Yusuf for achieving this
objective was "the right one" and reflected our own
strategic policy goals in Somalia.


10. (C) The Secretary told Yusuf that he was right to open
the possibility of dialogue to all those who want peace in
Somalia, but cautioned Yusuf that the United States
strongly believes that terrorists should not be brought
into this process. Yusuf agreed, noting that these public
messages were part of the TFG's tactics and his personal
belief that known terrorists and extremists would never
agree to participate in a peaceful process. The Secretary
conveyed her happiness that the TFG had agreed to
participate in the talks with the opposition in Djibouti,
and emphasized that progress on political dialogue would
reinforce our efforts in the Security Council to encourage
deployment of a UN peacekeeping operation in Somalia.


11. (C) In response to Yusuf's requests for U.S. support,
the Secretary agreed that a focus on security was
appropriate, particularly the issue of deployment of a UN
peacekeeping operation in Somalia and the need to train
Somali security forces, and confirmed that deployment of a
UN peacekeeping operation in Somalia remains a high
priority for the United States. The Secretary noted that
deployment of a UN peacekeeping force would allow Ethiopia
to withdraw from Somalia and that removal of the
lightening rod of the Ethiopian presence would allow the
political process to move forward more successfully. The
Secretary urged Yusuf to raise the issue of UN deployment
during his meetings in London later in the week. The
Secretary also noted our efforts to work with the United
Kingdom and France to co-sponsor a resolution on piracy
within the Security Council.


12. (C) The Secretary also agreed with the need to build
the capacity of the Somali state and its institutions,
including restoring membership in the World Bank, and
agreed to further examine Yusuf's requests for capacity-
building assistance to see if there were other ways that
the United States might assist in this regard. Finally,
the Secretary turned to the humanitarian situation in
Somalia, emphasizing the U.S. objective of ensuring that
humanitarian assistance reaches those in need and urging
Yusuf to hold accountable any security or government
officials who commit human rights violations.
RICE