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PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAE #0355/01 1091244
ZNY CCCCC ZZH (CCY ADBD55EA MSIK5481-695)
P 191244Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY ASMARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8089
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 5855
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0496
RUEHDJ/AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI 2762
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1123
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4550
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1293
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 0173
RUEHNJ/AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA 0188
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 0577
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000355 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY CLASSIFIED BY STATEMENT 
 
STATE FOR AF/PD - ROBERT DANCE 
STATE FOR AF/PD - ANDRE JOHNSON 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL. 04/18/2016 
TAGS: KPAO SCUL PGOV PREL ER
SUBJECT:  INFORMATION MINISTER FIRES LATEST SALVO IN GSE ANTI-USG 
RHETORIC 
 
 
Classified by AMB Scott H. DeLisi. Reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
¶1.  (C)  BEGIN SUMMARY.  THE UNITED STATES IS "DEMONIZING" PRESIDENT 
ISAIAS AFWERKI AND TRYING TO DESTABILIZE ERITREA, THE ERITREAN MINISTER 
FOR INFORMATION ALI ABDU TOLD THE ACTING PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER DURING 
RARE MEETING WITH AN AMERICAN OFFICIAL.  THE MINISTER RULED OUT 
COOPERATION ON ANY PUBLIC DIPLOMACY EFFORTS WITH THE UNITED STATES FROM 
HIS MINISTRY OR THE ERITREAN GOVERNMENT DUE TO THE USG'S HOSTILITY 
TOWARDS ERITREA AND PAST INTERFERENCE IN ERITREA'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS. 
ALI ABDU DECLINED TO OFFER ANY EXAMPLES OF USG "DEMONIZATION" OF THE 
PRESIDENT OR OF OUR "DESTABILIZATION" EFFORTS AND HE CONVEYED THE SENSE 
THAT HE DID NOT BELIEVE HIS OWN RHETORIC.  NONETHELESS, THE MESSAGE WAS 
CLEAR AND WE CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT HE HAD AGREED TO THIS MEETING IN 
ORDER TO CONVEY IT - IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH THE RECENT ESCALATION 
IN GSE ATTACKS ON THE USG.  TORN BETWEEN DESIRE FOR A BROADER USG ROLE 
IN RESOLVING THE BORDER DISPUTE BUT FEARFUL THAT   USG ENGAGEMENT MIGHT 
SOMEHOW REWRITE THE EEBC DECISION IN ETHIOPIA'S FAVOR, THE GSE SEEMS 
INTENT ON DOING SOME PRE-EMPTIVE DEMONIZATION OF ITS OWN - A COURSE 
THAT IS MADE ALL THE EASIER GIVEN THAT IT CONFORMS WITH THE VIEWS HELD 
BY MANY, ALTHOUGH NOT ALL, IN THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP.   END SUMMARY 
 
¶2.  (C)  MINISTER OF INFORMATION ALI ABDU USED A MEETING WITH EMBASSY 
ASMARA'S ACTING PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER TO ACCUSE THE UNITED STATES 
GOVERNMENT (USG) OF DEMONIZING PRESIDENT ISAIAS AFWERKI, WORKING TO 
DESTABILIZE THEIR COUNTRY, AND SIDING WITH ETHIOPIA IN THE PRESENT 
BORDER DISPUTE.  WHEN PRESSED BY A/PAO FOR SPECIFICS ON HOW THE UNITED 
STATES HAD ENGAGED IN THESE ACTIVITIES, THE MINISTER SAID HE WOULD NOT 
ELABORATE OR CITE EXAMPLES. 
 
¶3. (C)  ALI ABDU SAID THAT THE UNITED STATES HAD NOT LEARNED ITS LESSON 
IN ERITREA AND HAS ALWAYS WORKED AGAINST HIS COUNTRY.  HE CITED THE 
USG'S LACK OF SUPPORT FOR THEIR LEGITIMATE REBELLION AGAINST ETHIOPIA ( 
COMMON THEME HERE) AND STATED THAT WE CONTINUE TO PROP UP A "CORRUPT 
AND ILLEGITIMATE REGIME" IN ADDIS.  THE MINISTER DISMISSED THE NEED FOR 
EEBC MEETINGS IN LONDON OR FOR MEETINGS OF THE WITNESSES TO THE ALGIERS 
ACCORDS, SAYING, "THIS ISSUE CAN BE RESOLVED HERE AND THE BORDER 
DEMARCATED IN THREE WEEKS." 
 
¶4. (C)   BECAUSE OF WHAT HE CALLED A HISTORY OF THE USG WORKING AGAINST 
THE GOVERNMENT OF ERITREA (GOE) AND A TRACK RECORD OF USING PUBLIC 
DIPLOMACY INITIATIVES TO SPREAD LIES AND PROPAGANDA AGAINST HIS COUNTRY 
HE RULED OUT ANY COOPERATION FROM HIS MINISTRY ON ANY PUBLIC DIPLOMACY 
PROGRAMS.  WHEN ASKED WHETHER HE BELIEVED COOPERATION COULD BE ACHIEVED 
ON CULTURAL EXCHANGES, HE SAID THAT YOU COULD NOT  "DEAL WITH THE FINGE 
AND IGNORE WHAT'S BEING DONE TO THE REST OF THE BODY." 
 
¶5. (C)   STRIKINGLY, HOWEVER, THE MINISTER'S DEMEANOR BELIED THE FORCE 
OF HIS RHETORIC.  SEEMINGLY UNCONVINCED OF HIS OWN ARGUMENTS, HIS 
CHARGES LACKED VIGOR AND HE WAS CLEARLY UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN PRESSED FOR 
SPECIFICS OR JUSTIFICATIONS FOR HIS STATEMENTS.  IN FACT, THE TONE OF 
THE MEETING WAS SURPRISINGLY FRIENDLY DESPITE THE RHETORIC AND, AFTER 
ACCEPTING A BOOK ON AMERICAN IMPRESSIONIST ART, HE SAID HE HOPED THE 
TWO COUNTRIES COULD WORK TOGETHER SOMEDAY. 
 
¶6.  (C)  COMMENT:  THE MINISTER HAS DECLINED ALL ATTEMPTS BY EMBASSY 
OFFICERS, INCLUDING THE AMBASSADOR, TO MEET WITH HIM OVER THE PAST TWO 
YEARS.   OTHER WESTERN MISSIONS HAVE HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCES.  FOR HIM 
TO AGREE TO A MEETING NOW, AT A TIME WHEN THE GSE'S ANTI-USG RHETORIC 
HAS INTENSIFIED, IS NOT, IN OUR OPINION, COINCIDENTAL.  INSTEAD, IT 
APPEARS INTENDED TO SPECIFICALLY EMPHASIZE THE GSE'S ANTI-USG MESSAGE. 
 HOWEVER, FOR THE GSE TO HIGHLIGHT A THEME EMPHASIZING RESENTMENT AND 
HOSTILITY AT A TIME WHEN THE UGS IS ACTIVELY AND CONSTRUCTIVELY ENGAGED 
ON THE GSE'S KEY ISSUE - THE UNDEMARCATED BORDER WITH ETHIOPIA -- SEEMS 
A FOOLISH STRATEGY AT BEST.  IN THIS WE SEE ONE OF THE GSE'S 
FUNDAMENTAL DILEMMAS; IT SEEMS TORN BETWEEN ITS DESIRE FOR A BROADER 
USG ROLE IN RESOLVING THE BORDER DISPUTE ON THE ONE HAND AND FEARFUL OF 
WHERE THAT USG ENGAGEMENT WILL LEAD ON THE OTHER.  WORRIED THAT THE USG 
IS SOMEHOW INTENDING TO EFFECT A PRO-ETHIOPIAN REVISION TO THE EEBC 
RULING, THE GSE SEEMS INTENT ON DOING SOME PRE-EMPTIVE DEMONIZATION OF 
ITS OWN.  ALTHOUGH THE GSE'S APPROACH IS SHORT-SIGHTED AND ITS FEARS 
MISPLACED, THIS APPROACH IS NOT SURPRISING -- ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT THE 
ANTI-US RHETORIC SO FREELY DISPENSED IN RECENT WEEKS CONFORMS WITH THE 
VIEWS HELD BY MANY, ALTHOUGH NOT ALL, IN THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
 
 
Classified by AMB Scott H. DeLisi.  Reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
DELISI