UN/SOMALIA: AL-SHABAAB 1267 LISTING; MONITORING

S E C R E T USUN NEW YORK 000618 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/19/2017 TAGS: PREL UNSC ETTC PGOV SUBJECT: UN/SOMALIA: AL-SHABAAB 1267 LISTING; MONITORING TEAM COMPLAINT REF: A. STATE 61215 ¶B. NAIROBI 0161 Classified By: MINISTER COUNSELOR JEFFREY DELAURENTIS, FOR REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (U) This is an action request -- please see para 4. ¶2. (S) Per ref A, USUN raised with Somali UN Deputy PermRep Idd Mohamed the possiblity of Somali co-sponsorship of a request to the Security Council's 1267 Committee to add the al-Shabaab organization to the Committee's list of individuals associated with Usama bin Laden or members of the Taliban or al-Qaeda. USUN noted that Somali PM Hassan Hussein had already confirmed to Ambassador Ranneberger and Special Envoy Yates that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) would co-sponsor this request (ref B). Mohamed pledged to support USUN's efforts in the 1267 Committee, in particular to explain to committee members why the Somalia government wants al-Shabaab to be listed. He speculated that some Europeans may oppose al-Shabaab's listing in the belief that to do so would harm reconciliation efforts (a notion he rejected). ¶2. (C) Mohamed used this meeting to raise again his opposition to the appointment of Matt Bryden as chair of the Monitoring Team for Somalia Sanctions Committee. Mohamed asserted that Bryden had been critical of both U.S. policy in Somalia and the TFG, and that Bryden's statements on Somaliland threatened Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. When pressed on what his government would do if Bryden were retained, Mohamed claimed that the TFG would cease all cooperation and information-sharing with the Monitoring Team, refuse to issue visas to Bryden and other Monitoring Team members and urge Somalia's neighbors also to curtail cooperation. Mohamed said that this issue was raised with A/S Frazer at the African Union Summit in Sharm el Sheikh. ¶4. (C) ACTION REQUEST: USUN requests guidance on how to respond Mohamed's concerns about Bryden, including more information on whether Mohamed's views are actually representative of the TFG's position. While Bryden is a well-qualified professional (a view shared by UN leadership), Mohamed's threats of non-cooperation are troubling to the extent they could undermine the Monitoring Team's effectiveness. Khalilzad