O 262329Z DEC 06
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA IMMEDIATE 
INFO SOMALIA COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS STATE 202870 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AMEMBASSY ADDIS FOR USAU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO SO ET AU
SUBJECT: SOMALIA: TALKING POINTS FOR THE U.S. MISSION TO 
THE AFRICAN UNION 
 
¶1. U.S. Ambassador to the African Union (AU) Cindy Courville 
will be receiving a briefing following the December 27 AU 
meeting on Somalia.  Below are points and background for her 
use during this briefing.  In response to aggression by the 
Council of Islamic Courts (CIC), Ethiopia has commenced 
military operations against targets in Somalia.  Ethiopia has 
said that its action is intended to prevent further 
aggression by the CIC, to prevent further delivery of arms 
and supplies to the CIC, and that it is not targeting 
civilians.  On December 26, the African Union acknowledged 
the failure to respond to the situation in Somalia and stated 
that Ethiopia has the right to intervene militarily in 
Somalia in light of the threats by the CIC to Ethiopia,s 
security.  These developments further endorse the need for 
the urgent deployment of the IGASOM Peace Support Mission. 
 
¶2.    The United States supports the Transitional Federal 
Charter and Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) as the 
legitimate framework for governance in Somalia, while also 
encouraging a more inclusive process of dialogue between the 
TFIs and key Somali stakeholders such as business leaders and 
civil society.  The United States strongly believes that a 
sustainable solution in Somalia should be based on credible 
dialogue between the TFIs and Council of Islamic Courts 
(CIC).  Despite the efforts of the International Somalia 
Contact Group to encourage dialogue between Somali parties 
and the June 22 Khartoum Declaration between the TFIs and 
CIC, the situation in Somalia continues to deteriorate. 
Enclosed below are talking points on Somalia for Ambassador 
Courville,s use in this and other follow-on appointments. 
 
¶3.    Begin Talking Points. 
 
-- The United States strongly believes that a sustainable 
solution in Somalia should be based on credible dialogue 
between the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs), the 
Council of Islamic Courts (CIC), and key Somali stakeholders 
such as business leaders and civil society. 
 
-- Military expansion and continued aggression by the CIC has 
prevented this dialogue from moving forward and has created 
the need for deployment of a regional force.  The recent 
escalation in fighting makes the need for such a force even 
more urgent. 
 
-- Ethiopia has genuine security concerns with regard to 
developments within Somalia and has provided support at the 
request of the legitimate governing authority, the 
Transitional Federal Institutions. 
 
-- Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles has assured the United 
States and the Somalis that, in its current intervention, 
Ethiopia is not targeting civilians but fighting militias of 
the CIC. 
 
-- While the CIC claims to have brought stability to the 
areas it controls in Somalia, it continues to rely on child 
soldiers, mistreats prisoners of war, and has caused hundreds 
of refugees continue to cross the border into Kenya and 
Ethiopia every day, indicating a lack of stability inside 
Somalia and the violation of international norms and 
standards. 
 
-- The negative actions by the CIC, including: continued 
military expansion and build-up of militia forces around 
Baidoa; irredentist claims on the Somali-populated regions of 
Ethiopia and Kenya; and support for insurgent groups inside 
Ethiopia continue to destabilize Somalia and the broader Horn 
of Africa region. 
 
-- On December 6, the United Nations Security Council 
unanimously adopted Resolution 1725, authorizing deployment 
of IGASOM to restore stability in Somalia. 
 
-- These most recent developments in Somalia stress more than 
ever the need for the urgent deployment of IGASOM. 
 
-- IGASOM will deter further aggression against the TFIs, 
create the required space for dialogue, stabilize the 
situation, and create the conditions for Ethiopian and 
Eritrean disengagement from Somalia. 
 
-- IGASOM deployment is a critical element in creating the 
space for credible dialogue between the CIC and TFIs, leading 
to a more comprehensive solution based on a negotiated 
settlement. 
 
-- The CIC must now demonstrate its commitment to peace and 
stability by immediately resuming dialogue with the TFIs 
without precondition. 
 
-- The United States will continue to urge the TFIs to be 
more inclusive and return to dialogue with the CIC and other 
stakeholders. 
 
-- The United States will remain actively engaged with our 
international partners in preventing the continued escalation 
of tensions inside Somalia, which could spark wider regional 
conflict in the Horn of Africa if left unchecked. 
 
-- The quick deployment of a regional force and consistent 
pressure on all Somali parties to resume dialogue are 
urgently needed to ensure that such a scenario does not 
transpire. 
 
¶3. End Talking Points. 
 
 
RICE