SOMALIA - PD ACTIVITIES UPDATE, DECEMBER 23

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 002688 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/RSA, AF/PD, AND AF/E ALSO FOR S/CT ZROTHSCHILD ALSO FOR IIP/CTCC MAUSTEIN AND JVANDEVELDE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO PTER MOPS SO SUBJECT: SOMALIA - PD ACTIVITIES UPDATE, DECEMBER 23 REF: NAIROBI 2537; 07 STATE 116686 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Per ref B, Post submits the following update for the third week of December 2009. End Summary. -------------- PD Activities -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The Somalia Unit, including the Military Information Support Team (MIST) dedicated to Somalia, performed para. 3-8 activities since the last report: ¶3. (SBU) The Counselor for Somalia Affairs conducted a press roundtable on December 22 to discuss the recent meeting of the International Contact Group for Somalia in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The journalists showed a high level of interest in U.S. views on the ICG meeting, and coverage was excellent. TFG-owned Radio Mogadishu, apparently having secured a recording of the event from another media outlet, featured the item prominently on both its broadcasts and on the station's website (www.radiomuqdisho.net). ¶4. (SBU) The Somalia Unit issued a press statement on December 23 calling for the release of the VOA Somali Service reporter who was arrested by Puntland authorities on December 22. The statement was carried in Somali media. We have also registered our concern directly with Puntland President "Faroole" (ref A). ¶5. (SBU) During the December 10-11 Somalia regional conference in Nairobi, participants discussed public diplomacy in nearly all of the sessions, focusing on the importance of our own outreach, in addition to the ongoing effort to boost the TFG's own media efforts. ¶6. (SBU) The Public Diplomacy Assistant is in the process of adding several features to the Virtual Presence Post (VPP) website (http://somalia.usvpp.gov/) highlighting the activities being carried out inside Somalia under the grants written at the end of FY09. Many of these activities have included a high level of branding, representing a leap forward in our public diplomacy efforts inside Somalia. Activities completed to date include a 'youth for peace' workshop in Mogadishu, a microfinance/youth employment project in which over 100 youth in Mogadishu were given kits to start shoe shine business, and a vocational center for youth in Bossaso. ¶7. (SBU) PAO traveled to CJTF-HOA to meet the new detachment of psychological operations personnel and discuss how to include the new detachment in the overall public diplomacy effort toward Somalia. ¶8. (SBU) MIST activity: Continued discussions with contractor in the production of an anti-extremism comic book series. Also working on developing new programs in light of a decrease in immediately-available funding, and develop proposals to secure NAIROBI 00002688 002 OF 002 additional funds. RANNEBERGER