VZCZCXRO2156
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHAE #0705/01 2401423
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 281423Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASMARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9063
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1427
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1604
RUEPADJ/CJTF-HOA J2X CAMP LEMONIER DJ
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASMARA 000705 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/27/2017 
TAGS: PREL KREC ASEC ER
SUBJECT: GSE INTERFERENCE WITH OPERATIONS AT OTHER 
DIPLOMATIC MISSION IN ASMARA 
 
Classified By: CDA Jennifer A. McIntyre, for reasons 1.4 (b) 
and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  The Government of the State of Eritrea (GSE) 
continues to selectively tweak diplomatic missions in Asmara 
on operational issues.  After fifteen months of renovating a 
new Embassy building, the South Africans were informed they 
could not move into the building.  The British, Norwegians, 
and Germans have yet to resolve their months-old impasse over 
their diplomatic pouches.  Many Missions have not been 
granted courtesy calls with the new Foreign Minister yet, who 
assumed his position in June.  While the U.S. still gets top 
billing as the Mission targeted with the most restrictions, 
other diplomatic Missions also face operational difficulties 
created by the GSE.  End Summary. 
 
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GSE TELLS SOUTH AFRICANS THEY CAN'T MOVE IN 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Fifteen months after signing a lease agreement and 
paying rent and renovation costs in order to move the Embassy 
to a larger facility, the GSE told the South African Embassy 
that they would not be able to occupy the building.  The 
building, formerly occupied by USAID, is located across the 
street from the wall of the Presidential compound.  The 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Head of Protocol Fesseha 
Ghebrehiwet informed South African First Secretary Cynthia 
Daniels on June 6, "there is a problem with the building. 
You can't have it."  He pointed out that a gate to the 
Presidential compound was located across the street from the 
building.  When Ms. Daniels replied that the South African 
Embassy had been renting the building with the full knowledge 
of the GSE for over one year, Fesseha professed he had no 
idea that this was the building they were renting.  Ms. 
Daniels informed Fesseha she would have to speak with the 
Ambassador about the issue and requested the Eritreans 
provide an explanation for their disapproval in writing. 
 
¶3. (C) The following week, the South Africans received a note 
verbale from the GSE informing them they could not occupy the 
building.  The South Africans contacted the building 
landlord, an Eritrean citizen, who was shocked by the GSE's 
decision.  A few days later, the landlord met with Fesseha 
and presented his legal lease documents.  Fesseha disregarded 
the documents, repeating that the South Africans would not be 
able to occupy by building and added that the GSE was 
considering seizing the building for its own use.  The 
landlord  requested that the GSE provide him a written 
document indicating the government's intention to take the 
building from him and/or that he is prohibited from leasing 
the building to the South Africans.  To date, the landlord 
has not received anything in writing from the GSE. 
 
¶4. (C) The MFA then offered to help the South Africans find 
another building.  Using a South African embassy vehicle and 
GSE-provided local agent, Ms. Daniels spent an entire day 
looking at vacant buildings in Asmara.  All were buildings 
she had already seen, and deemed unsuitable, nearly 17 months 
ago when she first identified the former USAID building for 
the new Embassy facility.  At one point, the GSE offered to 
move out of a government office and provide the South 
Africans with that building.  The building offered was 
completely run-down and insufficient to the South Africans' 
space needs. 
 
¶5. (C) During the week of August 6, the South Africans 
received a second note verbale from the GSE.  In this note, 
the GSE claimed that the South Africans could not use the 
former USAID building due to security concerns and because 
the Asmara municipality had re-zoned the entire area.  (Note: 
 The Yemeni Embassy recently moved into the former Libyan 
Embassy which is only one block from the Presidential 
Compound. End Note.)  The South Africans continue to be 
extremely frustrated by the GSE actions.  In addition to 
losing a building after fifteen months of rental payments and 
renovation costs (and for a building which they have never 
even occupied), the South African Embassy must now manage the 
storing of supplies and furniture, recently arrived, which 
was ordered specifically to fit their new space.  They 
anticipate that within the next two weeks two more containers 
of buildings supplies will arrive in Eritrea. 
 
ASMARA 00000705  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
OTHER MISSIONS WRESTLE WITH UNRESOLVED POUCH PROBLEMS 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶6. (C) The saga continues of the detained diplomatic pouches 
of the Germans, Norwegians, British, and Netherlands.  Thus 
far, all Missions but the Netherlands, have stood fast to the 
principle of the inviolability of the pouch.  In July, the 
Germans decided to return their pouches unopened after the 
GSE refused to let them take possession without inspection or 
provide a listing of the items enclosed.  The Germans have 
told us that they plan to wait a while and then quietly try 
to send in another pouch.  The British pouches, detained 
nearly five months ago, remain at the airport.  The British 
have refused to allow inspection or to provide the GSE with 
an itemized listing.  The British have also (unsuccessfully) 
insisted that if the GSE will not allow the British Embassy 
to take possession of the bags unhindered, then the GSE 
should pay to return the bags to London.  The Norwegians' 
diplomatic pouches also continue to languish in the airport. 
The Norwegian Ambassador informed post, prior to his 
departure several weeks ago for annual leave, that the 
Norwegian MFA planned to call in the Eritrean Charge during 
the week of August 1 to demand an explanation.  Post will not 
learn the outcome of this meeting until the return of the 
Ambassador at the end of this week; however, the Norwegian 
Charge noted that the GSE has taken no action to release 
their pouches to date.  The Netherlands Embassy, whose 
pouches were detained for several weeks in the spring, 
acceded to the GSE's request for an itemized inventory.  Upon 
provided this listing, the GSE released the items  without 
inspecting them.  Post has heard rumors that other Missions 
in town may be allowing inspection or providing itemized 
inventories, allowing them to bring in their diplomatic 
pouches. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶7. (C) The GSE continues to stonewall all diplomatic Missions 
on discussing resolutions to the continuing detention of 
pouches and other violations of the Vienna Convention.  The 
MFA has consistently responded to the Missions' formal 
protests by stating that the GSE's "internal regulations" 
allow inspection of diplomatic bags, while refusing to 
acknowledge that their "internal regulations" violate their 
treaty obligations.  Nor do GSE actions indicate that the 
government plans to address these issues anytime soon.  In an 
August 24 meeting with the MFA's Americas Division (to be 
reported septel), Charge raised the issue of the diplomatic 
pouch again, with no response.  Post notes that many of the 
Missions (including ours and the UK) have not been granted 
even formal courtesy calls with the new Foreign Minister, who 
assumed his duties in June.  End Comment. 
MCINTYRE