SOMALI PIRACY - DJIBOUTI RECOMMENDS USG

C O N F I D E N T I A L DJIBOUTI 000006

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF, AF/E, AF/RSA, AND PM/PPA
CJTF-HOA FOR POLAD
LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA-WATCHER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2019
TAGS: KCRM EWWT MOPS PBTS PHSA PTER DJ SO XA
SUBJECT: SOMALI PIRACY - DJIBOUTI RECOMMENDS USG
PARTICIPATION IN JAN. 26 IMO CONFERENCE

REF: A. 08 SECSTATE 133199 (NOTAL)

B. 08 DJIBOUTI 957 (NOTAL)

Classified By: DCM ERIC WONG. REASON: 1.4 (A) AND (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUEST. Djiboutian Foreign
Minister Youssouf confirmed that the GODJ would participate
in the Jan. 13-14 Contact Group on Somali Piracy (CGSP) to be
held in New York, and strongly urged USG participation in a
regional International Maritime Organization (IMO) conference
to be held January 26 in Djibouti, which is expected to
address legal frameworks for prosecuting Somali pirates.
France has apparently already been invited and plans to
attend. Post requests Department confirm whether the IMO has
invited the USG to the January 26 conference. Post supports
USG participation in this conference, ideally by a senior USG
representative who could discuss the outcome of the Jan.
13-14 CGSP. END SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUEST.


2. (C) Ambassador met with Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali
Youssouf on January 4 to discuss demarche points (ref A)
submitted previously to the MFA via note verbale. FM
Youssouf expressed his support of the USG-led CGSP, and noted
that the draft Statement of Principles tracked with previous
statements by the GODJ. Youssouf said the GODJ advocated the
coordination of different efforts to combat Somali piracy,
citing separate initiatives in the region by actors including
the EU (Operation Atalanta),China, possibly Japan, and even
some Arab states (who reportedly were considering
contributing maritime forces). Djibouti would support any
initiative that improved security of the strategic
Bab-al-Mandeb Strait, he said, but the GODJ did not seek a
"multiplication" of initiatives. Citing his recent
discussions with the Government of Yemen, Youssouf said
France had already approached Sanaa regarding a possible
tripartite agreement to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
Yemeni officials may be interested in such a tripartite
agreement with Djibouti and the United States, as well, he
said, noting previous tripartite cooperation against Somali
terrorist targets.


3. (C) To foster concerted international action against
Somali piracy, Djibouti would host an International Maritime
Organization (IMO) conference on January 26, Youssouf said.
The conference, a follow-up to previous IMO conferences in
Tanzania and Kenya, would include not only representatives of
states bordering the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, but also
France. The conference aimed at finalizing a MOU on judicial
processes (e.g., the establishment of tribunals) to prosecute
pirates, in accordance with the 1988 Convention for the
Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime
Navigation.


4. (C) FM Youssouf strongly advocated U.S. participation in
the January 26 IMO conference, by a senior USG representative
who could discuss the outcome of the January 13-14 CGSP, but
noted that invitations to the conference would come from the
IMO, not the GODJ.


5. (C) COMMENT. As previously reported (ref B),Djibouti
actively supports international efforts to combat Somali
piracy, due partly to its dependence on port revenues but
also given its political role in seeking to promote UN-led
efforts to strengthen Somali reconciliation and stability.
END COMMENT.
SWAN