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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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

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support the current leadership, especially in light of the
overwhelming challenges they face. Comment: This has been
Kikwete's consistent position - see reftel.
ANDRE