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UNCLAS STATE 044005 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID OVIP PGOV PREL SO KPKO
SUBJECT: SOMALIA: AF ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARTER 
ATTENDS SOMALIA DONORS CONFERENCE IN BRUSSELS 
 
 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  United Nations Secretary-General (UNSYG) 
Ban Ki-Moon convened an international donors conference in 
Brussels, Belgium, from April 22 to 23 under the joint 
auspices of the African Union (AU), European Union (EU) and 
the UN to solicit contributions to support the Transitional 
Federal Government,s (TFG) security institutions and the 
African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).  Bureau for 
African Affairs Acting Assistant Secretary Phillip Carter 
(AA/S) led the U.S. delegation to the two-day conference, 
which also included Special Assistant to the President and 
Senior Director for African Affairs on the National Security 
Council Michelle Gavin.  At the conference, the U.S. pledged 
USD 10 million for the Somalia National Security Force (NSF), 
pending Congressional approval, and announced our intent to 
spend an additional USD 16 million by the end of the current 
fiscal year (FY) to support AMISOM.  AA/S Carter held 
meetings on the sidelines of the conference with TFG 
President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (Septel), TFG Minister 
of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Omaar (ForMin), and UN 
Under-Secretary General for Field Support (USYG) Susana 
Malcorra.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
DAY ONE: BRIEFING ON THE SOMALI SECURITY SECTOR AND AMISOM 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
¶2. (U) The UN dedicated the first day of the conference to a 
briefing on the Somalia security institutions and AMISOM.  UN 
Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) 
Ahmedou Ould-Abdullah, AU Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra, and 
European Commission (EC) Director General for Development 
Stefano Manservisi all delivered opening remarks.  A common 
thread that security must be enhanced in order for the root 
causes of piracy to be addressed permeated all of the 
remarks.  TFG Minister of Defense Mohamed Gandhi said in his 
opening statement that Somalis &have reached a crossroads8 
and that for the first time TFG and Alliance for the 
Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) forces are working together. 
However, the Minister also asked donors for financial 
resources, equipment, training and other forms of support for 
the NSF, Somalia Police Force (SPF), and Joint Security 
Committee (JSC).  Minister Gandhi emphasized the TFG will 
take the issue of human rights very seriously, and he 
apologized for past corruption in the current TFG and former 
iterations of Somali governments. 
 
¶3. (U) AA/S Carter delivered brief initial remarks, 
underscoring that, &The issue of piracy has come upon us, 
but what we are doing today is working to stabilize the 
long-term problems8 in Somalia.  The AA/S noted that 
supporting the Somalia security sector should be a priority 
for the international community, and asked that the TFG lay 
out what the NSF, SPF and JSC will look like and describe 
human rights and accountability structures that will be put 
in place.  The Minister of Defense responded, stating that, 
&Piracy needs to be brought under the law by effective state 
institutions.8  Minister Gandhi noted the TFG envisions a 
NSF of 5,000 and a SPF of 10,000, and once Mogadishu is 
stabilized the TFG plans to extend 30 percent of its forces 
into other cities and regions in South-Central Somalia.  The 
Minister also stated the TFG has a number of structures in 
place to deal with human rights and accountability issues, 
including an &anti-corruption committee8 for which the 
Minister asked for technical assistance from the 
international community. 
 
¶4. (SBU) AA/S Carter met with TFG Foreign Minister Omaar and 
Minister of Defense Gandhi on the sidelines of the first day 
of the conference.  When pressed on the issue of a UN 
Peacekeeping Operation (UNPKO), the ForMin responded that the 
issue is a politically sensitive one and if the TFG were to 
call for a UNPKO now it would be perceived by Somalis as a 
sign of weakness.  However, the ForMin emphasized that the 
TFG wants to keep the possibility of a UNPKO on the table as 
an option of last resort.  The ForMin noted that the TFG 
needs resources and time (&about six months8) to stand up a 
professional Somali force that could replace AMISOM. 
Regarding reconciliation efforts, the ForMin reported that 
the TFG speaks daily over the phone with Mukhtar Robow Mansur 
and Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, and that &Aweys, days are 
(the) past.8  The ForMin commented that there is much public 
opposition to al-Shabaab in Mogadishu and the TFG plans to 
implement a &very moderate form of Sharia Law that will be 
based on law and not/not on interpretation.8 
 
-------------------------------------- 
DAY TWO: SETTING THE STAGE FOR PLEDGES 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) A high-profile line-up kicked off the second day of 
the conference, with UNSYG Ban, TFG President Sharif, EC 
President Jose Manuel Barroso, AU Commission Chairperson Jean 
Ping, European Union (EU) High Representative for the Common 
Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, SRSG 
Ould-Abdullah, and representatives of the Secretary-Generals 
from the League of Arab States and Organization of the 
Islamic Conference all delivering opening statements.  The 
UNSYG noted the Djibouti Peace Process has led to &strong 
progress in the past few months8 and that the international 
community must work to &continue this progress by supporting 
the Somalia security sector and AMISOM.8  The UNSYG also 
noted that piracy is a &symptom of anarchy and insecurity on 
the ground in Somalia and that more security on the ground 
will equate to less piracy on the sea.8  President Sharif, 
in his first speech before a large international audience, 
noted that although the TFG is &doing its upmost to restore 
stability and security in the current environment,8 a number 
of obstacles stand in the way--such as the need for training 
and increased resources for Somalia security forces.  The 
President asserted that &piracy is a symptom of the lack of 
stability and security8 in Somalia and a &comprehensive 
solution8 is required. 
 
---------------- 
DAY TWO: PLEDGES 
---------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) More than sixty countries and international 
organizations attended the conference and pledged various 
levels of financial support totaling approximately USD 213 
million for the NSF, SPF, JSC and AMISOM.  AA/S Carter 
announced the USG has already committed to providing USD 5 
million to support the creation of the NSF and is prepared to 
provide an additional USD 5 million pending Congressional 
approval.  The AA/S also announced we have completed work on 
a financial mechanism to allow donors to support TFG security 
forces, and other donors are welcome to use this mechanism to 
channel their assistance. 
 
¶7. (SBU) AA/S Carter reminded donors that the United States 
is the largest supporter of AMISOM, having provided USD 135 
million for logistical and equipment support and 
pre-deployment training to the Burundian and Ugandan forces 
on the ground since the deployment of AMISOM in 2007.  The 
AA/S announced that we intend to provide an additional USD 16 
million through the end of the current fiscal year, and we 
have requested an additional USD 156 million from Congress 
that we would be able to provide during the same time period 
if it gets approved.  (NOTE.  Of this USD 16 million, 3.9 
million is existing Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) money and 
11.6 million is foreign operations appropriations money 
currently being notified to the Hill.  Of the USD 156 
million, 115.9 million is CIPA funding to support our 
assessed contribution to the logistical support package 
called for in UN Security Council Resolution 1863, and 40 
million is FY 2009 PKO supplemental funding to provide 
in-kind support to AMISOM troop-contributing countries and 
Somalia security forces.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶8. (U) Other notable pledges included the EC pledging to 
allocate up to 60 million Euros for AMISOM and announcing an 
allocation of 12 million Euros for UNDP to train and pay 
members of the SPF through UNDP,s Rule of Law Program. 
Saudi Arabia announced a pledge of USD 18 million for the 
Somalia security sector, but did not/not specify how this 
would be broken down.  The UN promised to release a written 
report following the conference detailing the USD 213 million 
in pledges.  As of April 30, this report has not/not been 
released. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
DAY TWO: BILATS WITH PRESIDENT SHARIF AND USYG MALCORRA 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) AA/S Carter met with President Sharif on the 
sidelines of the conference (Septel).  The President and AA/S 
spent the majority of the meeting discussing the importance 
of building well-trained and effective Somalia security 
institutions, including a NSF and SPF.  Other topics included 
discussions of the TFG,s current political reconciliation 
efforts as well as President Sharif,s views on the future of 
AMISOM and a possible UNPKO. 
 
¶10. (SBU) AA/S Carter met with USYG Malcorra following the 
conference.  In a very cordial and collaborative meeting, the 
USYG shared concerns held by the UN Department of Field 
Support (DFS), including a worry that the TFG,s coordination 
capabilities &are virtually non-existent,8 that 
accountability on behalf of the TFG will be a big issue 
moving forward, that AMISOM is weak on the ground, and that 
although DFS is pleased with AMISOM,s leadership, DFS shares 
the USG,s concern regarding the imminent departure of the 
top two AMISOM commanders this summer.  The AA/S inquired 
about reports from Nairobi and Addis of tension between the 
AU and UN regarding AMISOM planning, to which the USYG 
responded that the AU and UN will &sit down in the next two 
to three weeks and put this behind us.8  The meeting 
concluded with AA/S Carter agreeing to have AF work to see if 
the USG can provide additional armored personnel carriers and 
rigid hull inflatable boats for AMISOM as UNSYG requested 
during the conversation. 
 
¶11. (SBU) COMMENT.  The media spotlight surrounding this 
conference due to the recent attention on piracy helped to 
draw attention to the plight of Somalia, in particular to 
Somalia,s many challenges on land.  Although donors pledged 
approximately USD 213 million for the Somalia security sector 
and AMISOM, important next steps will be getting donors to 
obligate the various pledges, securing additional funding for 
AMISOM, and working with the UN system on donor coordination. 
 END COMMENT. 
CLINTON