ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON MEETING WITH AFRICAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 064904 ADDIS FOR USAU E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2016 TAGS: PREL AF AU KDEM PHUM KWMN SUBJECT: ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON MEETING WITH AFRICAN UNION AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S. AMINA SALUM ALI Classified By: Louis Mazel, AF/RSA, Reason 1.5 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: A/S Johnnie Carson met with African Union Ambassador to the U.S. Amina Salum Ali for one hour on June 16, 2009, making the following key points: -- The Obama Administrations is demonstrating a strong commitment to Africa as evidenced by the President receiving President Kikwete and PM Tsvangirai, his trip to Ghana in July, and The Secretary and Deputy Secretary Lew's upcoming trips to the region" -- The U.S. is seeking ways to increase engagement with African regional and sub-regional organizations. -- The USG appreciates the AU's principled stand on restricting the participation of governments that have come to power through coups: issues of democratic governance and inclusivity are important to the new administration.. -- There is high level interest in confronting the problem of gender based violence in Darfur and the Eastern Congo. -- U.S. and AU support to the Djibouti process and the TFG are essential; Eritrea has been a very unhelpful actor in the region but the U.S. is prepared to open a dialogue with President Isaias, should the Eritreans cease all support to Al-Shabaab. -- Greater internal dialogue and inclusivity is needed in Chad to reduce tensions and eliminate the need for proxies that exacerbate the problem in Darfur; Chad should spend its precious oil resources on its people's needs not weapons. End summary. ¶2. (U) African Union Ambassador to the United States Amina Salum Ali made an introductory call on Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson on June 16 to review a range of issues in the areas of peace and security, democratization, human rights, and food security. Ali was accompanied by Senior Policy Officer Louis Sharene Bailey. STRONGER RELATIONS WITH THE AU AND AFRICA -------------- ¶3. (U) Ali began by congratulating A/S CARSON on his appointment and expressing hope that the U.S. and the AU could deepen relations, adding that she believed that the Obama administration would give African issues greater prominence. She expressed appreciation for the recently announced food initiative for Africa and noted that A/S Carson's long experience on the continent made him especially sensitive to the issues that are important to Africa. ¶4. (SBU) A/S Carson thanked Amb. Ali for attending his swearing-in earlier this week and noted that he singled out Ambassador Ali at the event because of the importance that he attributes to our relationship with the African Union. A/S told Ali that the U.S. will look for ways to work more closely with the African Union and with the sub-regional organizations in Africa, including ECOWAS, SADC, and IGAD. A/S Carson underscored that Secretary Clinton, who introduced him at the swearing-in, is firmly committed to Africa and wants to have a "positive agenda and not just put out fires" on the continent. This agenda will include helping to grow economies, strengthening democratic groups and civil society, and promoting food security. ¶5. (C) A/S Carson noted that expectations for President Obama, while high in the U.S., "may be even greater in Africa" He added that The President is proud of his Kenyan roots and has shown a strong commitment to Africa, demonstrated by the fact that he has already met with President Kikwete of Tanzania and Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and is traveling to Ghana in July as part of a wider trip to Europe. A/S Carson said The President, by meeting with Kikwete and traveling to Ghana to met with President Atta Mills, is clearly signaling his support for democratic government, democratic institutions, and leaders who respect their people. As further demonstration of the administration's commitment to Africa, A/S Carson cited the Deputy Secretary's trip to Ethiopia and Tanzania later this month and the Secretary's planned travel to Kenya for the AGOA conference in August. He noted that the Secretary has received the Angolan Foreign Minister in Washington, met with former UNSYG Annan to review African issues, and has spoken telephonically with a number of African leaders." AS/S Carson told Amb. Ali that "this is just the beginning of a strong and much more responsive engagement in Africa." ¶6. (C) For her part, Amb. Ali proposed several ways to deepen U.S. Africa engagement, suggesting that the U.S. invite AU Chairperson Ping for high level meetings, that President Obama attend the AU Summit in Addis next January, and that the Assistant Secretary hold a regular dialogue with African ambassadors in Washington on such issues as food security, energy, and climate change. A/S Carson told Ali that he would consider these requests. CURBING GENDER BASED VIOLENCE A HIGH PRIORITY FOR THIS ADMINISTRATION -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Amb. Ali also told A/S Carson that the AU is interested in establishing some type of trust fund for women's issues on the continent and that she would interested in discussing this idea with the Special Envoy for Women's Issues. A/S Carson noted that Secretary Clinton is extremely interested in issues of gender based violence particularly in Darfur and the Eastern Congo and that we will be looking for new ways to bring attention and resources to this problem. Amb. Ali said that one solution would be to involve more women in peacekeeping and conflict resolution in Darfur and elsewhere on the continent. She added that "We need more women police and more women in officials roles" to combat this problem. ¶8. (C) Turning to issues of democratization on the continent, A/S Carson thanked Ali for the AU's voice on democracy and its principled stand in excluding the participation of governments whose leaders have come to power through coups or military interventions. Carson told Ali that, "It is extremely important that the AU maintain its strong and consistent stand in support of democracy." A/S Carson added that by taking this stand, the AU help put in place democratic institutions that will support what are in many cases still fragile democracies. CONSENSUS ON SOMALIA -------------- ¶9. (C) On Somalia, A/S told Ali that the U.S. supports the Djibouti Process as endorsed by the AU, IGAD, and other sub-regional organizations and that the Djibouti Process and the TFG are our only options for stabilizing Somalia at this time. He added that the U.S. remains concerned by the position of Eritrea and that Isaias' support for Al-Shabaab is destructive to Somalia and must cease. A/S Carson continued that the U.S. would like to engage Eritrea and remains open to having better RELATIONS with Eritrea but Eritrea must cease all support to Al Shabaab. ¶10. (C) Ali told A/S Carson that the AU is engaged in Somalia on a daily basis and agreed that the TFG should be supported. She noted that the lure of radical Islam is a "cancer spreading across Africa." and that any programs for Somalia must also include a focus on youth who are susceptible to the messages of radical elements. She underscored the need to stabilize the situation Ethiopia-Eritrea border ¶11. (SBU) A/S Carson added that the situation in Somalia is causing a huge refugee problem in Kenya and that piracy off the coast of Somalia is a direct result of the breakdown of law. Carson urged that the AU put in place protocols on piracy and that it work with the U.S. to encourage African states that are victims of piracy to take suspects for prosecution. Ali told A/S Carson that the AU is open for discussions on piracy. NEED FOR INTERNAL DIALOGUE IN CHAD -------------- ¶12. (C) Shifting to Chad, Ambassador Ali maintained that the problem is linked to the fact that people are not looking at Chad "holistically" in terms of the POLITICAL situation on the ground and how that relates to the problems in Darfur. A/S Carson agreed with Ali's analysis, noting that part of the fundamental problem in Darfur is found in Chad. Carson said that there should be internal dialogue in Chad between Deby and groups that oppose him and that Chad needs more democratic and inclusive government, something the U.S. is encouraging. Reconciliation would eliminate the proxies that Sudan feels compelled to use against Deby and will also reduce the basis for Deby to support rebel groups operating in Chad against Darfur. Carson noted that by reducing the threat, Chad could redirect precious oil revenues from military and defense spending to meeting human needs. A/S Carson closed by noting that greater dialogue, greater inclusivity, and more internal communication will lead to greater stability in Chad and reduce tensions with Sudan. CLINTON