(C) NORWAY FRUSTRATED WITH OTHER SOMALIA DONORS'

C O N F I D E N T I A L OSLO 000486 SIPDIS FOR AF/E (PAMELA FIERST AND MATTHEW WALSH) E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER SO EAID KPKO NO SUBJECT: (C) NORWAY FRUSTRATED WITH OTHER SOMALIA DONORS' RED TAPE REF: STATE 79853 Classified By: A/DCM Cherrie Daniels for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) In response to reftel, poloff discussed Somalia with the Chief of the East Africa section of the Norwegian MFA, Hans Jacob Frydenlund. Frydenlund excused his reticence to fully evaluate the situation on the ground in Somalia because his deputy, Kjell Harald Dalen, who manages the Somalia portfolio, is on vacation. However, Frydenlund promised a full joint report from the Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi and the MFA sometime shortly after August 18. He said the MFA would "relish" the opportunity to give the USG its take on developments there. ¶2. (C) Frydenlund was able to respond to the main points of reftel. He said that he agrees with our talking points, and as the third-largest donor in Somalia, Norway is very happy to any extent that transparency is increased. Regarding the Transitional Federal Government (TFG),he said that its "demise" has been forecast for two months, and it has shown impressive resiliency in the face of heavy fighting and setbacks. He pronounced the steps to reform AMISOM "good," and said that the real issue was not getting new donor pledges but releasing the money already appropriated. In this regard, he pointed to "EU countries with cumbersome procedures" as problems. Speaking generally, Frydenlund said that Norway has been less "risk averse" than some other donors--for example, in financing the TFG police through the UNDP. ¶3. (U) Post will report additional MFA views after the follow-on meeting with MFA's East Africa division sometime after August 18. HEG