WHAT ABOUT US? CANADA SEEKS INVITATION TO CONTACT

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 000022 SIPDIS STATE FOR PM/PPA - DAVID GLANCY, WHA/CAN - NED NOLAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/09/2019 TAGS: PREL PBTS KCRM EWWT XW SO CA SUBJECT: WHAT ABOUT US? CANADA SEEKS INVITATION TO CONTACT GROUP ON SOMALIA PIRACY REF: STATE 2292 Classified By: PolMinCouns Scott Bellard, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) This is an action request -- see para 4. ¶2. (C) On January 9, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) Senior Advisor for defense and security relations Sarah Robertson called in pol/mil officer to emphasize Canada's extensive, positive engagement on anti-piracy issues and to ask whether the United States intended to invite Canada to join the January 13-14 meeting of the Contact Group on Somalia Piracy (CGSP) in New York. She noted that other countries who had received invitations had already contacted Canada to coordinate, and expressed Canada's chagrin that it had apparently been excluded. ¶3. (C) Robertson highlighted that, in addition to being a member of the International Contact Group on Somalia, Canada had deployed three navy ships to the U.S.-led Combined Task Force (CTF)-150 in 2008 and, at U.S. request, diverted one of those ships to conduct World Food Program (WFP) escorts to Somalia from August 5 through October 23. She added that Canadian law of the sea experts have participated in relevant International Maritime Organization (IMO) and UN-sponsored sub-regional meetings on piracy and that they will attend the January 28-29 conference in Djibouti. (She also asked whether U.S. officials also would attend that meeting.) ¶4. (SBU) Action request: Embassy believes that Canada would be a worthy and constructive participant in this and future CGSP meetings, especially in light of its previous involvement and strong interest in attending. Embassy recommends an immediate invitation to the Government of Canada. Please advise. Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada WILKINS