AU SUMMIT: AF ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 000324

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2019
TAGS: PREL MOPS KPKO SO ET
SUBJECT: AU SUMMIT: AF ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARTER
MEETS WITH UN SPECIAL ENVOY OULD-ABDALLAH

REF: ADDIS ABABA 261

Classified By: AMBASSADOR DONALD YAMAMOTO. REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C/NF) Summary. UN Special Envoy for Somalia Ahmedou
Ould-Abdallah told Acting Assistant Secretary for Africa Phil
Carter and Special Envoy for Somalia John Yates on February 2
that newly elected Transitional Federal Government /Alliance
for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (TFG/ARS) President Sheikh
Sharif was "unfamiliar with how the western world works," and
was in need of immediate training in the basic functions of
government. Ould-Abdullah told Carter that he had two
messages for Sharif: that Sharif should establish his
government in Mogadishu as soon as possible, and that he
should form as inclusive a government as possible. Carter
stressed that Sharif should make public statements in support
of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeepers
to fight al-Shabaab's anti-AMISOM propaganda. Lastly,
Ould-Abdallah called for an independent third party to act as
paymaster to the TFG/ARS joint security forces to ensure
transparency and accountability in the process, a point
raised by Prime Minister Meles in his meeting with Carter
(REF). End Summary.

Ould-Abdallah: "Sharif's People are not Islamists, Just Dumb"
-------------- --------------


2. (C/NF) "Sharif and his associates have no idea how the
world works," Ould-Abdallah observed, and therefore, they
need training to teach them about basic office skills, let
alone how a government functions. He said the group was
"dumb" in the sense that they were ignorant of the modern
world having spent their entire lives in Somalia with a few
visits to the Middle East. Ould-Abdallah assessed that
Sharif was a "young, inexperienced school teacher" who had
learned his lesson from 2006. Sharif had been "scared to
death" by the response from Ethiopia and the United States to
the rise of the Islamic Courts, forcing him to go on the run,
and was ready and willing to work with Washington.

Message for Sharif: Stay in Somalia and Be Inclusive
-------------- --------------


3. (C/NF) Ould-Abdallah said he had two messages for
Sharif: don't travel for the first several months, and form
an inclusive government. He emphasized it was critical that
Sharif go to Mogadishu as soon as possible to begin doing the
work of government, and to be seen in Somalia, in charge,
working for the good of the people. He said Sharif needs to
"fix his house first" before taking an extended tour of
Europe. Carter agreed that immediately going to work in
Mogadishu would help develop the new government's
credibility. Ould-Abdallah commented that international
travel was considered prestigious by previous TFG leaders,
but it distracted them from doing the real work.


4. (C/NF) Ould-Abdallah added that the parliament needed to
return to Somalia as well. "Whether they get killed or not
is their problem," but they must go back. He said "money
talks," and he planned to end the per diem for the parliament
by February 22 to force the members to act, otherwise they
would remain in Djibouti or Nairobi.


5. (C/NF) Inclusivity would help generate support from
among the disparate groups in Somalia, Ould-Abdallah stated.
He noted that the next prime minister should be from the
Darood clan as Sharif represented the Hawiye. He also said
Sharif's government would never succeed if he alienated too
many of the various factions that were on the fence as to
whether to support the unity government or not. He opined
that too many actors in Somalia did not understand what a
state was, and wanted to solve their problems alone and by
force.


6. (C/NF) Ould-Abdallah alleged that Sharif's preferred
pick for prime minister, Dr. Abdirizak Osman Hassan (aka Dr.
Jurile),was a part of the "Italian mafia," and corrupt,
having previously conspired to steal millions of dollars with
Italian politicians. He warned that Jurile had already
introduced Sharif to the Italians and had been invited to
Rome. (Note: Dr. Jurile accompanied Sharif in his meeting
with Carter on February 2, reported SEPTEL. End Note.)

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Public Support for AMISOM Essential
--------------


7. (C/NF) Carter stressed that Sharif needed to express
public support for the AMISOM peacekeeping troops as soon as
possible to fight the anti-AMISOM propaganda being spread by
al-Shabaab and other anti-TFG groups. Ould-Abdallah agreed,
adding that the public relations and media battle was a
critical one, and he lamented that there were no reliable
independent news sources inside Somalia. He said that
because of this, he had requested a UN radio station for
Somalia in order to help disseminate accurate information to
the Somalia people. He also stated that his office was
beginning to work with Sharif's people on the public
relations issue.

Mechanism for Joint Forces Payment Needed
--------------


8. (C/NF) Ould-Abdallah thanked Carter for the financial
assistance Washington pledged to provide to help pay the
salaries of the unity government joint security forces, and
he agreed with Carter that the force would be vital to the
success of the new government. Carter added that Prime
Minister Meles (REF) had suggested that an independent
organization would be needed to pay the troops on a weekly or
daily basis. Such a method would allow the process to be
transparent to both the Somalis and the international
community. Ould Abdallah agreed with Meles, but insisted
that a private security contractor would be the best way to
address the problem. Carter suggested that an international
NGO would be a better solution than a private security
company. Carter added that AMISOM should not be involved in
the payment process, so as not to be seen as the paymaster.


9. (U) Acting Assistant Secretary Carter approved this
cable.
YAMAMOTO