KIKWETE ON REGIONAL ISSUES WITH CODEL ISAKSON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAR ES SALAAM 000350 SIPDIS AF/E FOR JLIDDLE, INR FOR FEHRENREICH, AF/RSA E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2014 TAGS: PREL TZ KE CG SO SU ZI SUBJECT: KIKWETE ON REGIONAL ISSUES WITH CODEL ISAKSON REF: DAR ES SALAAM 96 Classified By: CDA Larry E. Andre, Jr., for reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Tanzanian President Kikwete, meeting with CDA and visiting Senators Isakson and Corker May 28, called for more active UN involvement in Somalia and expressed concern about the situation in Sudan. Kikwete criticized Kenyan leadership for its inattention to governing; conversely, he expressed confidence in, and sought support for, the power-sharing government in Zimbabwe. End Summary. SOMALIA -------------- ¶2. (C) Kikwete responded openly to the senators' request for his views on issues in the region. Kikwete began by saying the situation in Somali was "complicated" and required more decisive UN Security Council action. Kikwete praised Ethiopia's intervention in Somalia, but said it was inevitable Ethiopia would withdraw to address other pressing priorities. He said the Somali situation had become more worrisome since the Ethiopian withdrawal. Kikwete commented on the distinction between Ethiopia's "peace enforcement" mission and the current peacekeeping mission involving Uganda and Burundi. He mentioned the impact of Somali instability on Tanzania, both through piracy and human smuggling. He said that likely more than one thousand Somalis, apprehended while transiting Tanzania illegally, were currently in his country's jails. SUDAN -------------- ¶3. (C) Discussing Sudan, Kikwete called for an expedited deployment of the UN force to help stabilize Darfur and clear the way for humanitarian assistance. While not directly critical of the Bashir ICC indictment, Kikwete said it complicated matters in Sudan, because Bashir had become more focused on his personal problems than on those of Sudan. Southern Sudan, he said, was a "silent time bomb." Having held discussions with Salva Kiir, he said, "I am not seeing (the South Sudanese) deciding to be a part of Sudan, and I am not seeing the north accepting that verdict." Kikwete said the UN had a role in upholding the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. He also severely chastised the UN bureaucracy, saying deployments were frustratingly slow, and added that he had voiced his concerns to the UN Secretary General. DR CONGO -------------- ¶4. (C) Kikwete touched briefly on eastern DRC, expressing concern that the former rebels who had joined the national army as part of the peace deal had not been paid for more than two months. He added that these soldiers were likely to "pay themselves" by looting, extortion, and other criminal activities. Kikwete blamed the problem on GDRC lack of administrative capacity. KENYA -------------- ¶5. (C) President Kikwete was sharply critical of Kenya's leaders, whom he said were too busy positioning themselves for the next election to work on the business of governance. He stressed the need for Kibaki and Odinga to make the power-sharing agreement work, because the situation could easily deteriorate. At best, he said Kenya was "not yet hopeless." ZIMBABWE -------------- ¶6. (C) Kikwete expressed confidence about developments in Zimbabwe, in particular the commitment of both Mugabe and Tsvangirai to power-sharing. He said that Tsvangirai will almost certainly be Zimbabwe's next president because of Mugabe's advanced age. He called for the U.S. and others to DAR ES SAL 00000350 002 OF 002 support the current leadership, especially in light of the overwhelming challenges they face. Comment: This has been Kikwete's consistent position - see reftel. ANDRE