ZANZIBAR: FIRST KARUME/SEIF MEETING SINCE 2005

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000765 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E JTREADWELL, INR FEHRENREICH, NSC FOR MGAVIN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KDEM PGOV PHUM TZ SUBJECT: ZANZIBAR: FIRST KARUME/SEIF MEETING SINCE 2005 REF: A: DAR ES SALAAM 756 AND PRIOR ¶1. (U) Zanzibar President Amani Karume met with opposition CUF leader Seif Sharif Hamad at Zanzibar's State House November 5, their first private meeting since the 2005 elections. Zanzibar State House issued a statement that "the meeting...focused on need to maintain peace and harmony as well as understanding and cooperation among all Zanzibaris" and that the two leaders "agreed to bury their differences." Full text follows at para 6. ¶2. (SBU) Ismail Jussa, CUF's Director of International Relations, told Polchief the meeting was "positive" and the first step in what would need to be a continuous process to find common ground towards power sharing. Jussa, who said he was present for only part of a long meeting, said the leaders discussed the circumstances that had led to the current impasse between the parties, for example touching on CCM's proposal of a referendum that scuttled the 2008 "Muafaka" talks. Jussa added that the leaders "did not want to fall into old arguments" and also avoided discussion of CUF's complaints about the registration process and Zanzibar IDs. ¶3. (SBU) Jussa had no concrete information about next steps - both sides would now consult. He said neither party wanted discussions in the framework of "Muafaka," which had a strongly negative public image. He added that the meeting alone would not change CUF's attitude towards the registration process, which still needed fixing. ¶4. (SBU) Jussa said he had visited Karume about two months previously and suggested the importance of a face-to-face meeting. He said Karume took the message seriously but moved deliberately before issuing the invitation to Seif the week prior. ¶5. (SBU) Comment: The meeting between Karume and Seif, while unexpected, is evidence of growing pressures in both parties to find accommodation (see ref). Statements made to the CDA by key State House contacts in recent weeks indicated a renewed push for Zanzibar reconciliation by Union President Kikwete. If something concrete comes of this CCM/CUF Zanzibar meeting, congratulations will be in order for President Kikwete as well as for the two Zanzibari principals. Over the past two years we have publicly urged CCM and CUF to work towards arrangements that would lead to fair elections and genuine reconciliation. We shall continue to do so, weighing in with our contacts on both sides of the Zanzibari divide to strongly encourage a resolution. End Comment. ¶6. (U) Text of Press Statement: Today President of Zanzibar Amani Abeid Karume met and held talks with CUF Secretary General Seif Sharif Hamad at State House, Zanzibar. They discussed several issues, including the need to maintain peace and harmony as well as understanding and cooperation among all Zanzibaris. The two leaders have agreed to bury their differences that cause division among the people of Zanzibar and have called on political leaders of all parties and the citizenry to cooperate in building Zanzibar without considering their political affiliations. They both agreed that if the people of Zanzibar cooperate in building their country, Zanzibar will be more developed. In their discussion, the leaders touched on the importance of continued talks between them and their parties. (END TEXT.) ANDRE