SOMALIA: AF ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARTER

UNCLAS STATE 044005 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID OVIP PGOV PREL SO KPKO SUBJECT: SOMALIA: AF ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARTER ATTENDS SOMALIA DONORS CONFERENCE IN BRUSSELS ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. United Nations Secretary-General (UNSYG) Ban Ki-Moon convened an international donors conference in Brussels, Belgium, from April 22 to 23 under the joint auspices of the African Union (AU),European Union (EU) and the UN to solicit contributions to support the Transitional Federal Government,s (TFG) security institutions and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Bureau for African Affairs Acting Assistant Secretary Phillip Carter (AA/S) led the U.S. delegation to the two-day conference, which also included Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs on the National Security Council Michelle Gavin. At the conference, the U.S. pledged USD 10 million for the Somalia National Security Force (NSF), pending Congressional approval, and announced our intent to spend an additional USD 16 million by the end of the current fiscal year (FY) to support AMISOM. AA/S Carter held meetings on the sidelines of the conference with TFG President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (Septel),TFG Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Omaar (ForMin),and UN Under-Secretary General for Field Support (USYG) Susana Malcorra. END SUMMARY. -------------- -------------- DAY ONE: BRIEFING ON THE SOMALI SECURITY SECTOR AND AMISOM -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) The UN dedicated the first day of the conference to a briefing on the Somalia security institutions and AMISOM. UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Ahmedou Ould-Abdullah, AU Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra, and European Commission (EC) Director General for Development Stefano Manservisi all delivered opening remarks. A common thread that security must be enhanced in order for the root causes of piracy to be addressed permeated all of the remarks. TFG Minister of Defense Mohamed Gandhi said in his opening statement that Somalis &have reached a crossroads8 and that for the first time TFG and Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) forces are working together. However, the Minister also asked donors for financial resources, equipment, training and other forms of support for the NSF, Somalia Police Force (SPF),and Joint Security Committee (JSC). Minister Gandhi emphasized the TFG will take the issue of human rights very seriously, and he apologized for past corruption in the current TFG and former iterations of Somali governments. ¶3. (U) AA/S Carter delivered brief initial remarks, underscoring that, &The issue of piracy has come upon us, but what we are doing today is working to stabilize the long-term problems8 in Somalia. The AA/S noted that supporting the Somalia security sector should be a priority for the international community, and asked that the TFG lay out what the NSF, SPF and JSC will look like and describe human rights and accountability structures that will be put in place. The Minister of Defense responded, stating that, &Piracy needs to be brought under the law by effective state institutions.8 Minister Gandhi noted the TFG envisions a NSF of 5,000 and a SPF of 10,000, and once Mogadishu is stabilized the TFG plans to extend 30 percent of its forces into other cities and regions in South-Central Somalia. The Minister also stated the TFG has a number of structures in place to deal with human rights and accountability issues, including an &anti-corruption committee8 for which the Minister asked for technical assistance from the international community. ¶4. (SBU) AA/S Carter met with TFG Foreign Minister Omaar and Minister of Defense Gandhi on the sidelines of the first day of the conference. When pressed on the issue of a UN Peacekeeping Operation (UNPKO),the ForMin responded that the issue is a politically sensitive one and if the TFG were to call for a UNPKO now it would be perceived by Somalis as a sign of weakness. However, the ForMin emphasized that the TFG wants to keep the possibility of a UNPKO on the table as an option of last resort. The ForMin noted that the TFG needs resources and time (&about six months8) to stand up a professional Somali force that could replace AMISOM. Regarding reconciliation efforts, the ForMin reported that the TFG speaks daily over the phone with Mukhtar Robow Mansur and Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, and that &Aweys, days are (the) past.8 The ForMin commented that there is much public opposition to al-Shabaab in Mogadishu and the TFG plans to implement a &very moderate form of Sharia Law that will be based on law and not/not on interpretation.8 -------------- DAY TWO: SETTING THE STAGE FOR PLEDGES -------------- ¶5. (U) A high-profile line-up kicked off the second day of the conference, with UNSYG Ban, TFG President Sharif, EC President Jose Manuel Barroso, AU Commission Chairperson Jean Ping, European Union (EU) High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, SRSG Ould-Abdullah, and representatives of the Secretary-Generals from the League of Arab States and Organization of the Islamic Conference all delivering opening statements. The UNSYG noted the Djibouti Peace Process has led to &strong progress in the past few months8 and that the international community must work to &continue this progress by supporting the Somalia security sector and AMISOM.8 The UNSYG also noted that piracy is a &symptom of anarchy and insecurity on the ground in Somalia and that more security on the ground will equate to less piracy on the sea.8 President Sharif, in his first speech before a large international audience, noted that although the TFG is &doing its upmost to restore stability and security in the current environment,8 a number of obstacles stand in the way--such as the need for training and increased resources for Somalia security forces. The President asserted that &piracy is a symptom of the lack of stability and security8 in Somalia and a &comprehensive solution8 is required. -------------- DAY TWO: PLEDGES -------------- ¶6. (SBU) More than sixty countries and international organizations attended the conference and pledged various levels of financial support totaling approximately USD 213 million for the NSF, SPF, JSC and AMISOM. AA/S Carter announced the USG has already committed to providing USD 5 million to support the creation of the NSF and is prepared to provide an additional USD 5 million pending Congressional approval. The AA/S also announced we have completed work on a financial mechanism to allow donors to support TFG security forces, and other donors are welcome to use this mechanism to channel their assistance. ¶7. (SBU) AA/S Carter reminded donors that the United States is the largest supporter of AMISOM, having provided USD 135 million for logistical and equipment support and pre-deployment training to the Burundian and Ugandan forces on the ground since the deployment of AMISOM in 2007. The AA/S announced that we intend to provide an additional USD 16 million through the end of the current fiscal year, and we have requested an additional USD 156 million from Congress that we would be able to provide during the same time period if it gets approved. (NOTE. Of this USD 16 million, 3.9 million is existing Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) money and 11.6 million is foreign operations appropriations money currently being notified to the Hill. Of the USD 156 million, 115.9 million is CIPA funding to support our assessed contribution to the logistical support package called for in UN Security Council Resolution 1863, and 40 million is FY 2009 PKO supplemental funding to provide in-kind support to AMISOM troop-contributing countries and Somalia security forces. END NOTE.) ¶8. (U) Other notable pledges included the EC pledging to allocate up to 60 million Euros for AMISOM and announcing an allocation of 12 million Euros for UNDP to train and pay members of the SPF through UNDP,s Rule of Law Program. Saudi Arabia announced a pledge of USD 18 million for the Somalia security sector, but did not/not specify how this would be broken down. The UN promised to release a written report following the conference detailing the USD 213 million in pledges. As of April 30, this report has not/not been released. -------------- -------------- DAY TWO: BILATS WITH PRESIDENT SHARIF AND USYG MALCORRA -------------- -------------- ¶9. (SBU) AA/S Carter met with President Sharif on the sidelines of the conference (Septel). The President and AA/S spent the majority of the meeting discussing the importance of building well-trained and effective Somalia security institutions, including a NSF and SPF. Other topics included discussions of the TFG,s current political reconciliation efforts as well as President Sharif,s views on the future of AMISOM and a possible UNPKO. ¶10. (SBU) AA/S Carter met with USYG Malcorra following the conference. In a very cordial and collaborative meeting, the USYG shared concerns held by the UN Department of Field Support (DFS),including a worry that the TFG,s coordination capabilities &are virtually non-existent,8 that accountability on behalf of the TFG will be a big issue moving forward, that AMISOM is weak on the ground, and that although DFS is pleased with AMISOM,s leadership, DFS shares the USG,s concern regarding the imminent departure of the top two AMISOM commanders this summer. The AA/S inquired about reports from Nairobi and Addis of tension between the AU and UN regarding AMISOM planning, to which the USYG responded that the AU and UN will &sit down in the next two to three weeks and put this behind us.8 The meeting concluded with AA/S Carter agreeing to have AF work to see if the USG can provide additional armored personnel carriers and rigid hull inflatable boats for AMISOM as UNSYG requested during the conversation. ¶11. (SBU) COMMENT. The media spotlight surrounding this conference due to the recent attention on piracy helped to draw attention to the plight of Somalia, in particular to Somalia,s many challenges on land. Although donors pledged approximately USD 213 million for the Somalia security sector and AMISOM, important next steps will be getting donors to obligate the various pledges, securing additional funding for AMISOM, and working with the UN system on donor coordination. END COMMENT. CLINTON