PRES. KIKWETE TELLS REP. PAYNE THAT TANZANIA & TURKEY WILL

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000796 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT AF/E FOR JTREADWELL; INR FOR FEHRENREICH AMEMBASSY NAIROBI FOR SOMALIA UNIT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OREP PINS PREL PTER PINR PREF PBTS SO TZ ER TU SUBJECT: PRES. KIKWETE TELLS REP. PAYNE THAT TANZANIA & TURKEY WILL CO-HOST SOMALI TALKS ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Representative Donald Payne (D-NJ),in Dar Es Salaam to participate in the Mo Ibrahim Forum on Governance, met privately with President Jakaya Kikwete on November 14, along with Ambassador Lenhardt and staffers. Rep. Payne urged Kikwete, as a progressive African leader, to work to make the AU more effective. Kikwete revealed hitherto unannounced plans for Tanzania to partner with the governments of Turkey and Eritrea to bring the TFG and Somali opposition factions together for talks. End Summary. -------------- Solid Base of Strong Ties -------------- ¶2. (U) As always, President Kikwete was gracious and appreciative of US assistance, and well-informed on details of substantive issues. He noted the "phenomenal" success of our Presidential Malaria Initiative in Zanzibar, and praised our PEPFAR efforts for giving people living with HIV/AIDS a future. Representative Donald Payne (D-NJ) thanked the President for the record time in which Ambassador Lenhardt was invited to present his credentials. He complimented Tanzania on the success of its reforms which led to the largest ever Millennium Challenge Compact award. He shared how impressed he had been, on visiting a PEPFAR-funded police HIV testing, care and treatment center earlier in the day, to find that mother to child transmission had decreased from 60 percent to virtually zero. He recounted his long history of visits to Tanzania, including meetings with President Nyerere, whom he recognized as the founder of the pan-Africanist movement and strong supporter of freedom fighters. -------------- Challenge to the AU -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Rep. Payne urged Kikwete to think about ways in which enlightened leaders like him could make the AU more bold, firm, and effective in its mission. While recognizing there are bad leaders everywhere, he noted with regret the tendency within Africa to "leave them alone" and "look the other way." Payne stated this is a poor example for the younger generation, who are looking to emerging leaders like Kikwete for inspiration. He gave the example of Sudanese president Bashir being welcomed in African capitals while flouting international law. ¶4. (SBU) Kikwete responded that when he served as Chairman of the AU in 2008, his main concern was for the safety of the people of Darfur. He explained that action against Bashir was constrained by the fact that all UN and AU activities to protect and sustain vulnerable Darfuris depended on Bashir's continued authorization of their mission; "he could order everyone out tomorrow". Kikwete described small victories in negotiating for non-African countries to join the hybrid force in Darfur and allowing foreign helicopters to be used. However, he said there were many outstanding issues, such as delays in bringing in goods at Port Sudan and approval of entry permits for Darfur, that are critical to humanitarian operations and that only Bashir can address. Kikwete said "being President is Bashir's last line of defense", because he knows whoever is in power next may deliver him to the ICC to gain favor with the world. Kikwete also complained enforcement of the ICC warrant is practically impossible unless Bashir decides to give himself up. -------------- Tanzanian - Turkish Plan for Somali Talks -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Kikwete went on to describe recent frank AU discussions on Eritrea that had introduced the threat of sanctions. He said the AU is encouraging the Eritrean foreign minister to tell his side of the story and explain himself because it appears the nation is contributing to regional chaos. Referencing the perpetrators of the bombing of the US Embassy in Tanzania in 1998, he stated: "when extremists take root, it is a cause for alarm for all of us in the region". Kikwete announced Tanzania is ready to host negotiations between parties involved in the conflict in the horn of Africa. He said the President of Turkey had asked him to work together to initiate a dialogue. Kikwete said he would prefer talks be held in Africa, but supported any efforts that would deliver results. He said Foreign Minister Membe will travel to Istanbul this month for a meeting between Somali and Eritrean parties. Commenting on Al-Shabaab, Kikwete joked, "all they hear are voices of some people in Tora Bora". He said he and the Turks' goal is to bring extremist Islamists into the TFG fold so as to isolate Al-Shabaab. He said if a sizeable enough alliance could be created, it could potentially then reach out to Al-Shabaab. -------------- The Somali Problem -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Kikwete stated: "Somalia is our biggest headache". He decried the proliferation of weapons from Somalia, saying "they are now utilitiA{Q icM`b,euxA]I&WtQugees in jail in Tanzania for illegal entry, and they arrive almost daily on their way to greener pastures in South Africa. He said Tanzania hopes to return them soon. ¶7. (SBU) Payne told President Kikwete about a forum he had organized in Washington for representatives from Puntland, Somaliland, and the TFG to discuss how best to benefit the Somali people as a whole. He said he encouraged the participants to partake in the TFG structure in order to access assistance and manage legal recognition issues. Kikwete responded that the President of Somaliland had come to Tanzania to push for recognition, but said it was difficult because while they do have a "genuine case" for statehood, it would further complicate the situation in Somalia. Kikwete said the priority is to address problems in Somalia, otherwise extremists will move into Somaliland. He said the key question preoccupying him is how to get the TFG to work, because once the TFG has gained control, things should calm down. He mentioned Tanzania had offered to train Somali troops, but the TFG had not yet taken him up on it. He said he is trying to work all angles. However, he is "not very hopeful, but can't yet say it is hopeless because not everything has been tried". Ambassador Lenhardt reinforced that Tanzania occupies a very favorable leadership role and is taking the right approach. He emphasized the importance of careful consideration, not reactive thinking in this complex situation. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Comment: President Kikwete, recognizing Payne's stature and deep engagement with African issues, made a special exception to invite the Congressman to a closed Mo Ibrahim Foundation Board lunch, and subsequently granted him a lengthy individual meeting. These gestures also reflect well on our strong, positive bilateral relationship. We will continue to follow and report on the growing relationship between Turkey and Tanzania, especially their outreach to parties involved in the Somali conflict. End Comment. ¶9. (U) CODEL Payne cleared this cable. LENHARDT