Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09STATE78768
2009-07-28 23:11:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Secretary of State
Cable title:  

SOMALIA: TALKING POINTS FOR UNSC JULY 29 BRIEFING

Tags:  UNSC PREL PHUM PHSA EWWT KCRM SO XA XW 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO8719
OO RUEHTRO
DE RUEHC #8768/01 2092327
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 282311Z JUL 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 7009
INFO UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 078768 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: UNSC PREL PHUM PHSA EWWT KCRM SO XA XW
SUBJECT: SOMALIA: TALKING POINTS FOR UNSC JULY 29 BRIEFING
AND CONSULTATIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 078768

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: UNSC PREL PHUM PHSA EWWT KCRM SO XA XW
SUBJECT: SOMALIA: TALKING POINTS FOR UNSC JULY 29 BRIEFING
AND CONSULTATIONS


1. USUN may draw from the talking points in paragraph 2 for
the UN Security Council's July 29 briefing and consultations
on Somalia.


2. Begin talking points:

-- Thank you, Mr. President. Let me thank Special
Representative Ould-Abdallah for his briefing, and Omaar of
Somalia for his informative update on the situation in
Somalia.

-- The United States believes that the key to long-term
peace and stability in Somalia lies in the establishment of
effective governance based on a process of inclusive
political dialogue and reconciliation between the
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and others committed to
peace.

-- The United States condemns in the strongest terms the
continuing military offensives against the TFG which are
designed to undermine the TFG,s legitimate authority under
the Transitional Federal Charter by force. The international
community must stand united with the TFG against the
extremists who continue to sow violence in Somalia, including
al-Shabaab and Hisb,ul Islam.

-- The United States further condemns al-Shabaab,s July 20
raids and forced closure of the UNDP, UNDSS and UNPOS offices
in Wajid and Baidoa, during which communications equipment,
automobiles and supplies were looted, as well as its May 17
raid on the UNICEF compound in Jowhar town, which remains
occupied by the militia. We strongly condemn all attacks upon
AMISOM, including the heinous February 22nd al-Shabaab
terrorist attack that killed 11 Burundian peacekeepers. In
addition, AMISOM peacekeepers are constantly in danger of
ambush and mortar attacks.

-- We are particularly concerned by the SRSG,s reports that
al-Shabaab is recruiting foreign fighters and collaborating
with al-Qaeda to topple the TFG. In its drive to forcibly
gain power, al-Shaabab has even recruited Somali children to
take up arms. They and other extremists have ratcheted up
bomb attacks and augmented targeted assassinations to spread
fear in a futile attempt to intimidate the Somali people into
submission. The recent violence by extremists not only in
Mogadishu, but also the renewed fighting in the central

regions of Somalia is very troubling.

-- After two decades of fighting, the time has come to stop
the cycle of violence in Somalia. We must not allow hardened
terrorists the opportunity to overthrow the transitional
government and use Somali territory as an incubator for
future terrorist attacks. The current situation is a threat
to the long-suffering people of Somalia, a threat to the
region, and a threat to the world.

-- We echo the SRSG,s call to donors for urgent military
and financial support to the TFG and AMISOM. Supporting
AMISOM should be central to the international community,s
strategy of stabilizing Mogadishu and supporting the Somali
peace process. The United States thanks AMISOM for its brave
and critical work in the face of continuing assaults, and we
urge donors to fulfill the pledges made at the April security
conference in Brussels to address the continuing threat to
regional stability posed by extremists. AMISOM remains well
below its mandated force strength of 8,000. The United
States urges the states of the African Union to contribute
forces to the mission, and will support additional troop
contributions approved by the AU.

-- We are deeply concerned about the worsening humanitarian
situation in Somalia, including the estimated 200,000 people
who had recently returned to Mogadishu, only to again be
displaced when the fighting began anew. The violence makes
critical food and other humanitarian assistance more
challenging, and sometimes impossible, to distribute to the
3.2 million Somalis who require it. The United States
deplores violence against humanitarian agencies and staff, in
particular the May raid on the UNICEF compound which
destroyed thousands of vaccines intended for Somali women and
children; nutritional supplements intended for the most
vulnerable women and children were also looted by al-Shabaab.

-- The United States is committed to addressing the
humanitarian situation, and remains the largest bilateral
donor of humanitarian assistance to Somalia, having provided
nearly $149 million in food and non-food emergency assistance

STATE 00078768 002 OF 002


since the start of our current fiscal year. We urge the
international community to contribute to the Consolidated
Appeal for Somalia. Contributions as of June 30 cover only
44 percent of the US$ 984 million requested.

-- In spite of these challenges, the United States is
encouraged by President Sheikh Sharif Sheik Ahmed,s
continuing efforts to reach out to opposition groups that
wish to join the national reconciliation process, and we
welcome the TFG,s Declaration of Cooperation with the Ahlu
Sunnah Wal Jama,a. We also welcome the TFG,s
institution-building efforts, as well as steps taken to hold
Parliamentary and Cabinet sessions despite increasing attacks
in Mogadishu.

-- We remain deeply concerned by reports from the UNSC
Somalia Sanctions Committee s Monitoring Group that Eritrea
has provided funding, weapons, and training to armed
insurgent groups operating in Somalia.

-- The United States has repeatedly expressed a willingness
to engage the Eritrean government, should Eritrea cease its
destabilizing activities in the Horn of Africa. We point out,
however, that this opportunity for dialogue is not open-ended.

-- On piracy, we regret reports by the International
Maritime Bureau that the rate of piracy incidents more than
doubled in the first six months of 2009 compared to the same
time last year. States affected by piracy, whether the state
of flag registry, owner of vessels , or home of crew, should
favorably consider prosecuting suspected pirates. Piracy is
without question a symptom of as well as a contributing
factor to the instability and insecurity in Somalia; without
stability in Somalia, there can be no durable resolution of
the piracy problem. We welcome efforts by naval coalitions
to enhance the safety of shipping routes in the Gulf of Aden,
which have contributed to a decrease in the rate of
successful hijackings.

-- Paying ransom perpetuates acts of piracy. The United
States does not offer concessions to hostage-takers, whether
they are driven by political or financial motives. We
encourage other states to take a similar position. We remain
interested in forming a group of so called, &no concession8
states to work together to slow the rise of piracy off the
Somali coast.

-- We call on all Somali stakeholders to abide by the
provisions of the Djibouti Agreement that led to the creation
of the TFG and support its implementation. The people of
Somalia have suffered for too long.

End Points.
CLINTON