SOMALIA - PD ACTIVITIES UPDATE, MAY 22

UNCLAS NAIROBI 001038 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/RSA AND AF/E ALSO FOR S/CT ZROTHSCHILD ALSO FOR IIP/CTCC MAUSTEIN AND JVANDEVELDE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KPAO PTER EAID MOPS SO SUBJECT: SOMALIA - PD ACTIVITIES UPDATE, MAY 22 REF: 07 STATE 116686 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Per reftel, Post submits the following update for the third week of May 2009. End summary. -------------- PD Activities -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The Somalia Unit, including the Military Information Support Team (MIST) dedicated to Somalia, performed para. 3-6 activities since the last report: ¶3. (SBU) Post continues to support the Transitional Federal Government with suggested press releases, talking points, and advice on media work. On May 19, we provided a suggested press release on the foreign fighters involved in the current upsurge in violence in Somalia. The TFG Minister of Information published the release, with only slight modifications, less than 24 hours later. We are in daily contact with the minister, who continues to state that he is grateful for U.S. support for his media operation. ¶4. (SBU) PAO traveled with visiting AF/PDPA desk officer to Dadaab refugee camps in northeaster Kenya from 11-13 May (see Nairobi 1031, 1032, and 1033). The Dadaab camps host 270,000 refugees, most of whom are from Somalia. The visit was extremely well-received by the refugees, many of whom didn't realize the depth of our diplomatic engagement in Somalia. We returned with several ideas for low-cost, high-impact PD programming that could very positively affect our image among the Somalis in Dadaab, and also work to secure their support for the efforts of the TFG to rebuild Somalia. ¶5. (SBU) PAO made remarks at a USAID-sponsored conference in Nairobi focused on developing media law in Somalia. The workshop brought together 15 members of Parliament and representatives of three media houses in an effort to discuss the relationship between the government and local media. PAO commented on the vital role of a free media in the rebuilding of Somalia, as well as the responsibility of the press in their reporting. ¶6. (SBU) MIST activity, week of May 11 and 18: A new team has arrived and is continuing broadcasting messages from a moderate sheikh preaching tolerance and reconciliation as well as youth and reconciliation talk and call-in shows along the boarder and in Mogadishu. Planning has continued for a series along the coast targeting piracy. The start of this program is still pending approval. The team met with members of the group Wahaaya Cusub and began a discussion of potentially aiding them in disseminating their message which is aligned with ours. In addition, the team has met with a representative from SBC radio in Puntland who says he has coverage in the coastal areas in which the pirates operate. The MIST is discussing using his company to better target the audience in the counter-piracy programs. RANNEBERGER