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C O N F I D E N T I A L USEU BRUSSELS 000520 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E (NOLE GAREY);AF/RSA (MIKE BITTRICK); 
EUR/ERA (JOHN ROBINSON); AND EUR/RPM 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/14/2017 
TAGS: KPKO MOPS PHUM PREL EUN SO
SUBJECT: EUROPEAN UNION SUPPORT FOR AMISOM 
 
REF: STATE 17083 
 
Classified By: USEU Pol-Mil Chief, Jeremy Brenner for reasons 1.4 (b) a 
nd (d). 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The European Commission is apparently 
softening its preconditions for releasing the 15 million 
euros it has earmarked to support the African Union in 
establishing the AMISOM peacekeeping mission. The Council of 
the European Union is looking favorably at the specific AU 
request for planning support for AMISOM, and urges close 
partner coordination on the ground in Addis.   End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) In conjunction with reftel message soliciting support 
for the African Union's plans to deploy the AMISOM 
peacekeeping mission, USEU Africa watcher and Pol-Mil Chief 
spoke February 14 with a range of officials within the 
European Commission and the Directorate for Defense Aspects 
of ESDP in the Council Secretariat to determine the current 
state of EU engagement on AMISOM. The Secretariat officers 
included Operational Planning Unit Chief Didier Lenoir, 
Somalia officer Bernard Rambaud, and pol-mil planner Ken 
Hume. These three officers will be in Washington February 
27-28 for meetings on Africa and other subjects. 
 
----------------------------- 
Commission Funding for AMISOM 
----------------------------- 
¶3. (SBU) The European Commission has imposed two conditions 
on the release of 15 million euros to support African Union 
peacekeeping operations in Somalia. The Commission will 
release the money once the UN approves a new resolution 
authorizing peacekeepers in Somalia, and once AU military 
planners, working with EU, US, and other planners, agree upon 
clear military plans (CONOPs) for the mission. Pol-mil 
planners in the Council Secretariat expect a UNSCR will be 
passed within days. Contacts in the Council and Commission 
say it is a matter of when, not if, the money will be 
released, and represents a softening in approach on the part 
of Commissioner Louis Michel, who several weeks ago was 
holding the money until he was satisfied that the 
Transitional Federal Government was sincerely bringing other 
parties and clans into the government.  The 15 million euros 
is equivalent to the $19.6 million given by the USG.  It will 
go directly to the AU as budget support for operating costs 
in Somalia. We were told February 14 by Council Secretariat 
pol-mil operations officers just back from Addis, that the 
Commission may also provide 500,000 euros in "urgent cash" 
assistance from the Stability Instrument. The European 
Commission is in the process of appointing a Special Envoy 
for Somalia who will be based in Nairobi. 
 
------------------------------ 
Technical Assistance to AMISOM 
------------------------------ 
4.(C) We spoke with the Council Secretariat pol-mil 
operations officers in the context of reftel demarche 
soliciting support for the AMISOM deployment.  They had not 
yet seen the February 14 note verbale from the AU requesting 
specific planning assistance from partners.  Their reaction 
was that the AU request was quite reasonable, and they were 
optimistic that a "package" including EU military planners 
could be provided. The aim would be to create a "core group" 
of capable planners led by Africans. They said that 
discussion of other forms of logistical support was 
premature, since in the absence of a coherent mission plan, 
it would not be possible to identify needs. They propose to 
put the specific AU request before the Political and Security 
Committee on Friday, and urged that donors and partners 
should coordinate on the ground in Addis in order to avoid 
duplication of effort and focus on shortfalls. One proposal 
that the Secretariat might put forward would involve 
"re-hatting" planners already assigned to AMIS in order to 
"kick-start" the AMISOM planning process. While there is an 
apparent willingness to send more advisors to assist the AU 
with mission planning, the EU has been disappointed with the 
fact that European advisors already sent to assist AMIS in 
Sudan have largely been sidelined by the Africans.  This is 
having a dampening effect on recruitment of volunteers to go 
to Somalia. 
 
------------ 
Adopt-a-Unit 
------------ 
¶5. (SBU) According to EU officers just back from Addis, in 
seeking support for AMISOM, the AU has adopted an approach to 
donors markedly different from that for AMIS. The AU is 
calling upon potential donors to provide support to Troop 
Contributing Countries on a bilateral basis, suggesting that 
individual Member States provide all the necessary logistical 
support and equipment to an identified TCC. According to the 
EU planners, Member State support to TCCs will be contingent 
upon an effective mission plan. 
 
----------------- 
Mission Structure 
----------------- 
¶6. (C) The EU is increasingly doubtful that the international 
community will find the money necessary to support 8,000 
peacekeepers. Both Council and Commission contacts said it is 
much more likely that 2,000 to 3,000 peacekeepers will be 
deployed to protect key institutions in Mogadishu, but that 
raising the number to 8,000 would increase costs while 
providing diminishing returns in terms of results.  One 
Council contact said it is highly unlikely the Ethiopian 
forces will really withdraw from Somalia.  They will be less 
visible in Mogadishu once the Ugandans move in, but they will 
not leave. Secretariat pol-mil officers speculated that the 
entire mission for the next six months may be composed of the 
2 Ugandan battalions and one Nigerian battalion now on offer 
with US and Algerian support. 
 
--------------------- 
Assistance to the TFG 
--------------------- 
¶7. (SBU) Last week, the EU hosted seven members of the TFG, 
including the foreign minister, in Brussels for talks about 
capacity-building. Members of the Somali delegation met with 
Michel as well as High Representative Javier Solana in 
meetings that were described as positive. The delegation 
brought a "laundry list" of funding requests to the EU. The 
EU's 2007 spending plan for Somalia, in addition to the 15 
million euros, includes 66 million euros for good governance 
programs, 10-15 million euros for humanitarian aid, and 35-40 
million for development aid.  The EU also is assisting the 
Somali government in planning for its April-May national 
reconciliation conference. 
 
McKinley 
.