LIBYA'S TOP AFRICA DIPLOMAT DISCUSSES CHAD-SUDAN, SOMALIA,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000935 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/MAG, AF/SPG, AF/E; AFRICOM FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/5/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO LY CD SU MR SO SUBJECT: LIBYA'S TOP AFRICA DIPLOMAT DISCUSSES CHAD-SUDAN, SOMALIA, AND MAURITANIA REF: A) TRIPOLI 871, B) NDJAMENA 557, C) TRIPOLI 918 TRIPOLI 00000935 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Chris Stevens, CDA, Embassy Tripoli, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Libya is pleased with recent progress on Chad/Sudan reconciliation and expects a Libyan-led peacekeeping force to be deployed along the border by year's end, according to the GOL's top diplomat for African affairs, Dr. Ali Treiki. Treiki said the GOL would soon re-start efforts to engage rebel leaders and lure them back to negotiations. On Somalia, Treiki said the GOL remained involved in efforts to resolve the crisis in governance and would host the leader of the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS),Sheikh Sharif, in December. Treiki said the GOL supports a restoration of democratic rule in Mauritania and plans to continue its dialogue with both sides. He said Libya welcomes cooperation with the U.S. Africa Command, having been reassured that the Command does not intend to establish a headquarters or bases on the continent. End summary. CHAD/SUDAN: NEW FOCUS ON REBEL GROUPS ¶2. (C) In a November 30 meeting with the CDA, Secretary for African Affairs Ali Treiki of the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation (MFA-equivalent) expressed pleasure with progress on Chad/Sudan reconciliation, saying the mid-November Contact Group (CG) meetings in N'Djamena were "very good and productive" and that there was now "no difference [of opinion]" between members of that group on the way forward in the region. Concerns from regional partners as to Libya's command of the 2,000-member peacekeeping force had been assuaged and he expected the final details to be ironed out at the December 12 meeting of the Contact Group in Khartoum. He said he expects the Senegalese to approach the EU and USG to help fund the program. ¶3. (C) Treiki shifted the goalposts on grandiose plans for a Libyan-led trilateral initiative, claiming victory while suggesting that many of the Tripoli-based meetings comprising the "Trilateral Initiative" (ref A) would instead be held under the auspices of the CG. The proposed Bashir-Deby summit, originally slated for Tripoli, will instead take place on the Chad-Sudan border on an unspecified date in December, he said. Treiki remained rosy in his assessment of Libya's leadership role and continued to view the Qatari initiative with skepticism. He was interested in SE Williamson's recent trip to Doha, but did not feel the Qataris had gained much traction in the past month. ¶4. (C) With Sudan-Chad reconciliation "on the right track," Treiki said he plans to devote more time to engagement with the rebel movements. He said he expected to meet with Senior Assistant to the Sudanese President and SLM Leader Minni Minawi on December 2, and looked forward to renewing ties with JEM/KI. He noted that "the real problem now is that there is a lot of division within the movements," and that it was impractical to negotiate with so many different factions. Libya is working to "reorganize and re-combine the groups" in preparation for an expected visit to Tripoli by Khalil Ibrahim in late December, but realizes it will be difficult due to Ibrahim's insistence that he be treated as the sole legitimate leader of the JEM. Treiki said he expects Ibrahim to remain in Tripoli for an extended period of time for discussions with the GOL on rebel dynamics and the way ahead. Treiki also expected Joint UN/AU mediator Djbrill Bassole to arrive in Tripoli on December 26 to meet rebel leaders. He suggested that Bassole could make Tripoli his temporary headquarters for an unstated length of time. (Comment: A sentiment that seemed based more on hope than any solid indication that Bassole planned to do so. End comment.) Treiki had nothing to say about the arrival of Daoussa Deby as ambassador to Libya (ref B); however, Chadian PolCouns Padjalengar Nguinengar told us on December 1 that Deby was expected to replace Chad's current ambassador to Tripoli by month's end, and would possibly travel with Ibrahim. SOMALIA: ENGAGING SOMALI LEADERS ¶5. (C) Echoing earlier comments on Somalia by officials from the MFA's Arab Affairs Department (ref C),Treiki trumpeted Libya's leadership role in regional diplomacy and its seat at the nexus of AU-UN-Arab League intervention in Somalia. Citing the delicate state of Somali affairs and the seeming inability of east African neighbors of Somalia to effectively resolve the TRIPOLI 00000935 002.2 OF 002 crisis, he said, "this is an urgent matter - we should not involve neighboring countries at all". He said Libya would host both a UN delegation and Sheikh Sharif of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia in mid to late-December (i.e., after the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday and before New Year's). MAURITANIA: "A SPECIAL KIND OF COUP" ¶6. (C) Reminding us that the AU and Arab Maghreb Union had come out against the coup and that Libya supported a quick return to democracy, Treiki nonetheless cautioned that Mauritania represented "a special kind of coup". Noting that the parliament remains in place and that the majority of its members support the coup leaders, he stressed that "they are not one voice". Libya is in contact with both sides; he claimed the GOL had leaned on coup leaders to give ousted President Abdallahi freedom of movement. He expressed frustration that the situation in Mauritania meant that Mauritania was being excluded from important regional activities, such as a recent meeting of senior intelligence and security officials In Mali. U.S. AFRICA COMMAND IS OK ¶7. (C) While discussing security cooperation and capacity building in the Sahel/Sahara region, the CDA mentioned that this was one of U.S. Africa Command's areas of expertise. Treiki replied that Libya is "over [our concerns] with AFRICOM - we're not worried about coordination and if you can help in training, this is good, but if you have any large military presence in our region, this will lead to an escalation from groups like al-Qaeda". STEVENS