AU SUMMIT: UK PRIORITIES AND PING'S VISIT TO LONDON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LONDON 000205 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/RSA, AF/E, AF/W, AF/C, AND AF/S E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV AU XA UK SUBJECT: AU SUMMIT: UK PRIORITIES AND PING'S VISIT TO LONDON REF: A. ADDIS ABBA 76 ¶B. LONDON 157 ¶C. LONDON 136 Classified By: Political Counselor Richard Mills, reasons 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (C) Summary. FCO Minister for Africa Lord Malloch-Brown will represent HMG at the January/February AU Summit in Addis Abba. Malloch-Brown has been invited to speak about the London Summit in April. He intends to explain the aims and objectives of the London Financial Summit and to highlight that developed countries will take into account the needs of the developing world. AU Chairman Ping visited London January 12-13 and discussed the AU's pan-Africa peace and security strategy, support for AMISOM, governance, climate change, Sudan (reftel B),Somalia, and Zimbabwe with HMG Ministers and officials. End Summary. Malloch-Brown Speaks at AU Summit on London Summit -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) FCO Minister for Africa Lord Malloch-Brown will represent HMG at the January/February AU Summit and will be the first UK Minister to formally present at an AU Summit. The AU has asked him to present on the April 2009 London Summit (previously known as the G-20 Summit, reftel C),and Malloch-Brown intends to explain the Summit's aims and objectives and to highlight that developed countries will take into account the needs of the developing world in their discussions on the global economic crisis, according to Africa Strategy Unit Head Catriona Mace. Malloch-Brown also plans to hold a round of bilateral calls, specifically to discuss Zimbabwe, Sudan, Somalia, and the DRC and will be accompanied by FCO/DFID Special Representative for Sudan Michael O'Neill and FCO Head of East and Central Africa James Tansley. FCO Africa Director Adam Wood will not attend but plans to make a follow-up visit to the AU in March or April. AU Chair Ping Visits London -------------- ¶3. (C) During his January 12-13 visit for bilateral meetings with HMG and a P-3 meeting on Sudan, AU Chairman Ping met with UK Climate Change Envoy for Africa Robin Gwynn, PM Foreign Policy Advisor Simon McDonald, FCO Minister for Africa Lord Malloch-Brown, DFID Minister for Africa Ivan Lewis, FCO Africa Director Adam Wood, and Senior P-3 Representatives on Sudan (reftel B). Ping also met with Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma. Somalia - AMISOM Needs Support -------------- ¶4. (C) Ping told both McDonald and Malloch-Brown that AMISOM urgently needs more financial support. Ping explained he is working to get the peacekeeping mission up to full strength and said he had had positive conversations with Ghana, Nigeria, Burundi, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen about troop contributions. Mace said that HMG is still "crunching the numbers" on how much the UK will give to the AMISOM Trust Fund, but anticipated it would be "several million pounds." Zimbabwe - Tsvingarai at the AU Summit? -------------- ¶5. (C) Malloch-Brown said the UK is increasingly concerned about the power-sharing negotiations between Mugabe and Tsvingarai and pressed the AU to play a more prominent role in finding a solution. Mace said Ping seemed "frustrated" that the AU had not played a greater role, as Ping said that he had tried to convene a meeting in South Africa but it had not worked out. Ping said that Tsvingarai, as Prime Minister, had been invited to the AU Summit but will be allowed to take his seat only if all AU Ambassadors agree. HMG anticipates the AU will not make any significant comments on Zimbabwe, given the differing opinions across the continent, and that SADC's role as mediator will be re-affirmed. Peace and Security Strategy -------------- ¶6. (C) In a lunch with Department for International Development (DFID) Minister for Africa Ivan Lewis, Ping updated on the progress of the AU's preparation of the LONDON 00000205 002 OF 002 2009-2012 Peace and Security Strategy. Ping said he wanted a "slimmed down and focused" strategy that is "realistic." It will be based on four pillars: peace and security, economic integration and development, shared values, and capacity building. Capacity building will underpin work on the three thematic pillars. Mace said the AU should sign off on the strategy at the Summit, but the real test will be when Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtame Lamamra presents the Peace and Security Commission's implementation plan at the July AU Summit. Ping also said that commitment to implement the strategy from several member states is lacking. Governance and Positive Peer Pressure -------------- ¶7. (C) Wood highlighted with Ping the need for positive peer pressure on governance, citing the encouraging elections in Ghana. Ping said he was focusing on this issue and providing back-channel support on governance issues. He said he and other African leaders had been in touch with President Mutharika in Malawi to press for a good electoral process, as there have been some concerns about the treatment of the opposition. Climate Change - The West Should Start -------------- ¶8. (C) Climate Change is not a high priority for Ping, Mace said of the Chairman's meeting with Gywnn. Ping noted that the West are the largest polluters in the world and needs to take the first steps in managing climate change. Ping also said that Western NGOs working in Africa tend to focus on issues like forest preservation and gorilla habitat, which are not priorities for significant climate change, especially in Africa. 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