SOMALIA IN THE SECURITY COUNCIL: "BACK FROM THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000303

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM KPKO UNSC ER SO
SUBJECT: SOMALIA IN THE SECURITY COUNCIL: "BACK FROM THE
BRINK"

REF: A. USUN 292

B. STATE 26517

C. USUN 286

Classified By: Amb. Rosemary DiCarlo, for reasons 1.4 b/d.


1. (C) SUMMARY: Security Council Members largely sidestepped
the much-discussed issue of a UNPKO and instead pledged
support for Somalia's new unity government in a March 20
Council debate on Somalia. Special Representative of the
Secretary General (SRSG) Ould-Abdallah and Somali
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) Foreign Minister
Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar both emphasized the need to help the
new government show progress on security within its first 100
days. In a separate meeting, the FM told USUN that he hoped
a UNPKO in Somalia would not be necessary, and that funding
the 3300-strong Joint Security Forces (JSF) was his
government's top priority. Both the SRSG and FM welcomed the
U.S. statement publicly criticizing Eritrea for its role in
destabilizing Somalia. On piracy, several nations welcomed
the U.S.-led Contact Group and called for the international
community to address piracy by dealing with its root causes
on the ground in Somalia. End summary.

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SRSG on Sharif's first 100 days
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2. (SBU) In a March 20 Security Council debate, SRSG
Ould-Abdallah told the Council that Somalia was "back from
the brink" and that the international community should work
to ensure that the Sharif-Sharmarke's government's first 100
days were a success. He proposed that international partners
build on the momentum of the new government's establishment
through six steps: deepening coordination with the government
to underscore its legitimacy; providing diplomatic and
financial support to AMISOM; ensuring transparent and
unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance; ensuring that
sanctions designations reinforce the political process;
fighting impunity; and, tackling piracy off the Somali coast.
He said that the new government should be included as a full
partner in deliberations concerning the country and urged in
particular that the government be informed of Somali
government assets held in overseas banks or managed by
international organizations (ref A). The SRSG noted that the
Djibouti Agreement provides for "Justice and Reconciliation"
and proposed that the fight against impunity could be pursued
through domestic establishment of a truth and reconciliation
commission or, alternatively, through UNSC action to
establish a commission of inquiry. He announced that the
Secretary-General's donors' conference for support to the
African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali security
forces would take place on April 22 in Brussels.

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FM touts progress
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3. (SBU) TFG Foreign Minister Omaar delivered an upbeat
briefing on the new Somali government's accomplishments,
highlighting the relocation of the government and parliament
to Mogadishu. He claimed that "today in Somalia, there are
no warlords, clan wars or political factions holding the
country hostage" and said that the only threat to the peace
process came from spoilers who refused to engage in dialogue.
Omaar said that the TFG's security strategy would rely on
the reinforcement of AMISOM and the mobilization of
international resources to fund the JSF which would
ultimately take responsibility for the capital's security.
He asked that TFG be granted an arms embargo exemption to arm
its forces and asked international partners to "make
adjustments in attitudes and operational habits and
procedures" by treating the TFG as a legitimate and
representative government and consulting it fully on all
decisions concerning Somalia. He also reiterated the TFG's
determination to fight piracy and said the government looks
to the international community for help in agreeing a plan to
boost Somali capacity to fight piracy.

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Council pledges support
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4. (SBU) In their statements, Council members, the AU and the
Arab League all pledged support to the new Sharif-Sharmarke
government and its efforts to expand the political process to
include non-signatory groups. Members largely avoided
polarizing debate over a possible UN peacekeeping operation
for Somalia. Once exception was AU Peace and Security
Commissioner Lamamra, who urged the SC to approve a follow-on

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force. China, Libya and Burkina Faso briefly mentioned their
support of a UNPKO, while Turkey said that while it supported
the idea, it was unlikely to be realistic "for some time to
come." Russia said that it was ready to consider a UNPKO
should a Somali commitment to security help establish the
requisite conditions for deployment. France and the UK said
only that they looked forward to revisiting the issue in May,
following the SYG's April report under resolution 1863. The
UK announced a GBP 10 million contribution to the SYG's trust
fund for AMISOM. Mexico, which chairs the Somalia Sanctions
Committee, said that it was important to ensure that
sanctions effectively combat arms trafficking and reinforce
the political process. France, Croatia and Costa Rica
supported the SRSG's statement on impunity and Japan
emphasized that all support to AMISOM should be approved
through existing budgetary procedures. The Czech Republic,
on behalf of the EU, announced a EUR 14 million donation to
UNDP for security sector reform in Somalia. All Council
members who spoke on piracy agreed that it was only a symptom
of the larger crisis in Somalia. Norway praised the U.S.
initiative to establish a contact group on Somalia piracy,
while Malaysia alone spoke in favor of a UN naval force to
counter piracy.

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SRSG welcomes U.S. statement on Eritrea
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5. (SBU) Ambassador DiCarlo delivered the Department's
statement (ref B) to the Council highlighting U.S. assistance
to AMISOM and support for the Sharif-Sharmarke government,
and singling out Eritrea's role in providing financial and
logistical support to the Somali insurgency. SRSG
Ould-Abdallah took the floor a second time at the close of
the open debate to publicly thank the U.S. for raising the
issue of Eritrea. Eritrea has no border with Somalia, he
said, and no justification for interfering in internal Somali
politics.

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FM wants to "defer" talk of PKO, supports U.S. stance on
Eritrea
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6. (C) In a subsequent bilateral meeting with Amb. DiCarlo,
FM Omaar said that the government would like to "defer the
June issue" of approving a UNPKO in order to preserve options
as it built up its security forces, which he said would be
"far, far more cost effective than a PKO." Omaar said these
forces consisted of 1350 ARS troops, 1350 from the TFG and
600 who had just completed training in Uganda, for a total of
approximately 3300, but that the TFG hoped to increase the
JSF to a strength of 5000 within 6-12 months. He predicted
that this would be sufficient to stabilize south-central
Somalia with the exception of Kismayo. By following such a
strategy, Omaar said he, President Sharif and other members
of the cabinet hoped that the security situation could be
stabilized without needing a PKO. He confidently described
how insurgent tactics had shifted from confronting
pro-government forces in the open to more low-profile IED
attacks: he attributed this to a shift in popular loyalties
that had made it more difficult for insurgents to find
shelter among the population.


7. (C) The FM thanked Amb. DiCarlo for her assurances that
the USG was prepared to offer $5 million to help train and
equip these troops, and he said he hoped for U.S. assistance
in generating further contributions from the Gulf and
elsewhere to help pay stipends to the troops. Omaar said
that once stood up, the JSF could complement AMISOM by
providing "a perimeter, intelligence and follow-through"
which would reduce casualties and improve relations between
AMISOM and the community.


8. (C) FM Omaar told Amb. DiCarlo the TFG was ready to take
on increased responsibility in fighting piracy. If the
international community were prepared to support increased
TFG and Puntland capacity to suppress piracy, he said, the
national and regional authorities would be ready to sign.
Regarding Somaliland, Omaar, a native Somalilander, predicted
that Somaliland authorities would live up to their promise to
discuss national reconciliation as soon as there were
responsible authorities in the South with whom they could
negotiate. He said that President Sharif and his
administration would do all they could to fulfill their end
of that bargain.


9. (C) Omaar also thanked Amb. DiCarlo for the U.S. statement
on Eritrea's destabilizing activities in Somalia, emphasizing
that he spoke for President Sharif and the cabinet as well.

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Noting that he had followed the career of Eritrean President
Isaias for over 20 years, Omaar said that "Somalis have been
far too patient and far too circumspect" in dealing with
Eritrea and that the time might soon come for the TFG to
speak out on the issue as well. He committed to speak with
President Sharif about the issue upon his return to Mogadishu.

Wolff