AU SUMMIT: A/S CARSON'S AND SE GRATION'S MEETING WITH THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000566

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG, AF/FO, AF/E AND AF/RSA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/14/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV ER SO SU KSUM AU LY
SUBJECT: AU SUMMIT: A/S CARSON'S AND SE GRATION'S MEETING WITH THE
ARAB LEAGUE

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CLASSIFIED BY: Gene A. Cretz, Ambassador, US Embassy Tripoli,
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)

1. (C) Summary: During a July 1 meeting on the margins of the
African Union (AU) Summit in Sirte, Libya, Arab League (AL)
Secretary General Amr Moussa told Assistant Secretary for
African Affairs Johnnie Carson and Special Envoy for Sudan Scott
Gration that he would press member states to financially support
stability initiatives in Somalia and Sudan but cautioned that
Arab nations would need to see dramatic reductions in violence
if they were to provide troops for peacekeeping operations.
Moussa offered to intervene on the USG's behalf with Qatar in
order to stem that country's support for Eritrea and its proxy
war with Ethiopia in Somalia, and highlighted AL support for the
Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG). On Sudan, he
congratulated the Special Envoy on his coordination efforts to
solve the crisis there and noted the gradual reduction in
tensions in Darfur over the past five months. Moussa said he
appreciates the USG's comprehensive approach to the situation in
Sudan -- seeking security, humanitarian assistance, and
political stability at the same time. Moussa laid out the AL's
support for North-South unity in Sudan after the 2011 referendum
on partition and asked that the USG coordinate with other
international donors to ensure that development assistance to
Sudan would be effective in promoting political and economic
unity within the nation. End Summary.

ARAB LEAGUE SUPPORT FOR SOMALIA WILL BE FINANCIAL
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2. (C) AL Secretary General Amr Moussa told A/S Carson that he
would continue to vocally support the TFG in Somalia as he had
in a speech at the opening of the 13th AU Summit in Sirte,
Libya. Moussa views al-Shabaab as "destructive" and agreed that
if they were allowed to topple the TFG, Somalia would be "back
at square one." According to Moussa, the AL has a duty to help
Somalia move from chaos to promise.


3. (C) Moussa said that the AL has maintained an active interest
in Somalia since 1991, and many member states viewed the
situation there through a lens of fear, aversion, and concern.
For his part, Moussa has tried to explain to Arab states that
the new TFG is different than the one led by Abdullahi Yusuf
Ahmed. The AL Secretariat has sent funds to Sharif through
formal channels and is encouraging members to do the same.
However, the AL's experience with financial support has been
negative -- Moussa complained that Somali ministers have long
taken for their personal use money donated for security forces.
A/S Carson detailed the USG's recent assistance in the form of
weapons, ammunition, and cash to pay salaries. Moussa said Arab
nations would be able to provide financial and technical
assistance -- including Iraq which is ready to provide Sheikh
Sharif with $5 million -- but were unable to have their troops
"thrown into the fire." He added that the AL would not achieve
any success in getting members to provide peacekeepers without a
Security Council resolution specifically calling for them.


4. (S) A/S Carson encouraged Moussa to use his position to
condemn spoilers like Eritrean President Isaias, who has used
Somalia as a proxy battleground for its on-going political
disagreements with Ethiopia. A/S Carson held out the Emir of
Qatar as one of the primary supporters of Eritrea and
al-Shabaab, noting that he had sent one of his deputies to Doha
in mid-May to discuss the issue with the Qatari MFA, only to
have the meeting request denied. Moussa mentioned that he had
raised the issue on that same day with the Emir, who shared the
dais with him at the opening ceremony of the AU summit. The
Emir categorically denied he was supporting al-Shabaab via
Eritrea and said that whatever funds Qatar had paid were
official and for investment purposes. Moussa told the Emir that
he had heard many Africans talking about Iranian and Qatari
support for Eritrea's proxy war in Somalia and encouraged the
Emir to state publicly his denial of improper support. He told
A/S Carson that he was surprised by the Qatari MFA's refusal to
meet USG officials and promised to intercede with them to
persuade them to listen to our points. A/S Carson asked Moussa
to also make the point that supporting al-Shabaab would not be
in Qatar's interest, either, and their rise would lead to
decreased stability in Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.


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MOUSSA APPRECIATES NEW US POSITION ON SUDAN, SEEKS NORTH-SOUTH
UNITY
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5. (C) Turning to SE Gration, Moussa congratulated him on a
recent CPA conference in the U.S. and said he appreciated the
USG's new comprehensive approach to peace in Sudan. SE Gration
thanked Moussa for his counsel and stressed that the limited
time before the April 2010 elections and 2011 referendum on
North-South partition called for urgent action. SE Gration
provided Moussa with a read out of his recent activities,
including meetings with all major rebel factions and a late-June
trip to N'Djamena to seek rebel unity and buy-in from President
Deby to push for a cease fire and non-aggression pact. Gration
noted that Libya had been helpful in getting the governments in
N'Djamena and Khartoum to talk, and added that more should be
done to accelerate the 2008 Doha Accord.


6. (C) The Special Envoy provided a road map for future
engagement in Sudan, including looking over the horizon and
forecasting the need to plan for resettlement of IDPs now and
the provision of reconstruction and development assistance in
areas subjected to decades of violence. He laid out three
desired objectives: helping the North and South to govern
better and make unity an attractive option, getting the Sudanese
to make peace between tribes to instill hope for a better future
among the people, and managing the transition from war to peace
to create a prosperous Sudan that grows surplus crops and brings
them to market efficiently.


7. (C) Moussa said he was closely monitoring the situation in
Sudan and congratulated SE Gration on the "immense difference"
he saw in U.S. policy vis-a-vis Sudan in recent months. Moussa
commented that the comprehensive peace solution contrasted
against previous policy that sought to corner and punish the
Khartoum government and that the new approach would foster an
environment in which Sudanese officials could be persuaded to
cooperate. Moussa stated that a late-May trip to Darfur left
him with high hopes, noting that there seemed to be less tension
on the ground. Saying that the Chad-Sudan border was little
more than a "crossing point that brings violence", he encouraged
increased dialogue within the framework of the Doha and Abuja
agreements to create a mood that allows for peace.


8. (C) Moussa said the AL would continue to support North-South
unity in Sudan and has supported investment and development
aimed at making unity the most desirable option before the 2011
referendum. Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia
have all restarted infrastructure projects -- mostly roads --
but coordination was so far lacking. Instead of building roads
connecting major population centers, all countries were
competing and building "10 parallel roads one-tenth of the way".
SE Gration agreed and lamented that the GOSS should increase
their focus on development as opposed to weaponry, particularly
given that 80% of their teachers are untrained and 85% of their
population illiterate.


9. (C) Following on SE Gration's comments, Moussa argued that
since 85 percent of Southern Sudanese can't read, "we must
decide [the issue of referendum] for them." Adding that the USG
and the AL were now like-minded on policies in the Horn of
Africa, Moussa pressed for U.S. backing for Sudanese unity. The
AL hopes to hold a meeting by the end of 2009 to discuss
proposals for assistance to Sudan and will invite the UN, US,
EU, and other actors. Recognizing that "you can't work without
the U.S.", Moussa also expressed a desire to promote Sudanese
debt forgiveness. Recalling the AL's 2004 decision to suspend
Sudan's debt and a unilateral decision by Japan to do the same,
Moussa hoped more countries could examine forgiveness while
simultaneously building economic capacity through infrastructure
development, without which, he argued, the international
community was simply promoting already rampant corruption. SE
Gration concluded by reaffirming in clear terms the right of the
South to vote for separation or unity under the CPA. The choice
was one for the South to decide.


10. (U) A/S Carson and SE Gration have cleared on this message.
CRETZ