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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ASMARA 000709 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2017 
TAGS: PREL KREC ASEC ER
SUBJECT: LONG-AWAITED MEETING WITH MFA YIELDS LITTLE 
 
 
Classified By: CDA Jennifer A. McIntyre, for reasons 1.4 (b) 
and (d). 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary:  In the absence of a direct response from 
the Government of the State of Eritrea (GSE) regarding the 
August 10 notification to close their consulate in Oakland, 
California,  Charge d'Affaires requested a meeting with 
representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to 
discuss U.S.-Eritrean relations.  During the August 24 
meeting with MFA acting Americas Director Elsa Haile, Charge 
emphasized the importance of reopening a dialogue; in 
particular encouraging the MFA to address the Embassy's 
still-unresolved bilateral problems which resulted in the 
Oakland closure, and to discuss Eritrea's activities 
vis-a-vis Somalia in view of A/S Jendayi Frazier's August 17 
statement regarding the possibility of Eritrea being added to 
the State Sponsors of Terrorism List.  Haile sidestepped the 
bilateral issues by directing Charge to raise them with the 
MFA's Protocol Division.  She commented that the GSE's 
primary foreign policy was resolving the border dispute with 
Ethiopia.  Somalia was a "side issue" and the U.S. has been 
using Somalia as a pretext for derailing discussion on the 
border.  Not unexpectedly, the meeting produced no positive 
forward momentum.  Haile staunchly maintained the position 
that the bilateral decisions were not within the America's 
division purview and policy discussions could only be 
addressed at more senior government levels.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
CHARGE URGES DIALOGUE TO RESOLVE AREAS OF CONTENTION 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶2. (C) On August 24, Charge d'Affaires and Poloff (notetaker) 
met with Elsa Haile, MFA Director of the Multilateral and UN 
Organizations Division (and currently acting Director for the 
Americas), Tiagese Kiflezge, desk officer for the Americas 
(notetaker) and Biniam Berhe Tewolde, also of the 
Multilateral and UN Division (notetaker).  Charge opened the 
meeting by expressing her deep concern over the state of 
bilateral relations and emphasized the critical need to renew 
dialogue on both operational and policy issues to halt this 
downward spiral.  On operational issues, she noted that the 
Embassy's inability for over a year to engage the GSE in 
discussions on lifting overwhelming operational restrictions 
had finally resulted in the reciprocal measure of ordering 
the closure of Oakland.  Charge provided details of the many 
GSE-imposed restrictions and their impact on U.S. Embassy 
operations to include: inability of  diplomats to travel 
outside of Asmara; interference with the diplomatic pouch; 
refusal of official visas for U.S. temporary duty (TDY) 
staff; delays in registering personal vehicles of U.S. 
Embassy personnel; and the MFA's refusals to grant meetings 
with GSE officials.  The Charge requested the MFA set up a 
forum for discussion and eventual resolution of these 
critical issues, noting that the continuation of these 
restrictions would eventually restrict U.S. Embassy 
operations to such an extent that we may be unable to 
continue operations in Asmara.  She concluded by urging a 
joint proactive approach to addressing these problems, adding 
that reciprocal restrictions which have been levied on the 
operations of the Eritrean Embassy in Washington could be 
quickly lifted if we were permitted to operate freely and in 
accordance with international norms. 
 
¶3. (C) Moving to policy issues, Charge expressed her concern 
about the absence of any direct and open dialogue to date on 
Somalia.  She referred to A/S Frazier's August 17 statements 
concerning the possibility of Eritrea being included on the 
State Sponsors of Terrorism List and the UN monitoring 
group's report detailing delivery of Eritrean material 
support to violent groups in Somalia.  She emphasized that a 
placement of Eritrea on the State Sponsors List ill-served 
both countries, noting that countries that have been placed 
on the list in the past (like Libya and Sudan) have found it 
very difficult to have the designation lifted.  Charge urged 
the MFA to propose to the appropriate GSE office to open a 
discussion on our respective governments' positions in 
Somalia.  Such discussion would not have to occur in Asmara, 
but could be addressed through other avenues, such as the 
Eritrean Embassy and State Department officials in 
Washington.  She added that our Embassy would be happy to 
meet, or facilitate meetings with, any designated GSE 
official on this topic. 
 
ASMARA 00000709  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
BILATERAL OPERATIONS: MFA ASSERTS GSE ACTIONS ARE RECIPROCAL 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Elsa Haile thanked Charge for the briefing and noted 
that as she was not completely familiar with all of our 
bilateral issues, she would not be able to respond to all of 
the points raised during this meeting.  Regarding the 
operational problems mentioned by Charge, she stated that 
with the exception of the travel restrictions, all GSE 
actions responded to U.S. actions against Eritrea.  Tiagese 
Kiflezge joined in, asserting that the GSE's refusals to 
issue official TDY visas was in response to U.S. Embassy 
Asmara's denial of visas to members of the People's Front for 
Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) traveling on diplomatic 
passports during 2003-2006.  Although pressed for more 
details, Kiflezge provided none.  (Note: Post presumes 
Kiflezge was referring to the numerous cultural groups who 
have applied in previous years to travel to the U.S. for 
Eritrean cultural festivals.  While sponsored by the PFDJ, 
these individuals are assuredly not diplomats nor diplomatic 
passport holders.  Many of these individuals have proven to 
be unqualified visa applicants.  End Note.) 
 
¶5. (C) Per the other GSE restrictions, Kiflezge cryptically 
commented that the Eritrean restrictions on the diplomatic 
pouch "had nothing to do with our consular services and 
closure."  The travel restrictions, continued Haile, were in 
place because of national security concerns and applied 
equally to all diplomats.  She noted that the U.S. has not 
taken reciprocal action against Pakistan which also has 
travel restrictions based on security concerns.  Charge 
explained that while the U.S. Mission notifies the Pakistani 
government in advance of the travel of our personnel, we are 
not denied permission to travel through most of the country, 
as in Eritrea.  She added that our Embassy security personnel 
were eager to cooperate with police and security personnel, 
noting that our new Regional Security Officer had been 
seeking, unsuccessfully to date, meetings with the Police 
Commissioner and other security professionals.  Haile did not 
acknowledge Charge's invitation to work collaboratively with 
the Embassy on security issues, only repeating that the 
travel restrictions were a matter of national security. 
 
¶6. (C) Wrapping up the discussion on operational problems, 
Haile  told Charge that these issues fall under the purview 
of the Office of Protocol, and directed the Charge to raise 
these issues with them. Haile commented that the Eritrean 
Embassy in Washington D.C. should be accorded the same access 
to the Department.  Charge assured her that our Department 
officials would be happy to grant any requests for meetings 
by the Eritrean Embassy.  In the end, Haile did acknowledge 
that the GSE views our operational difficulties as "an 
outcome of policy." 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
POLICY ISSUES: MFA UNABLE TO ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶7. (C) Turning to Somalia, Haile stated that Eritrean support 
for the Council for Islamic Courts did not constitute support 
for terrorists against American interests, but rather was an 
effort to ensure security in the region.  Biniam Tewolde 
added that Eritrea is itself a victim of terrorism, 
commenting that the GSE does not admit into Eritrea any 
individuals named on the UN terrorism lists.  Haile asserted 
that the allegations in the UN monitoring report were untrue. 
 She stated, "We are not harboring terrorists.  Since day one 
we have made it clear what we stand for.  You know Eritrea is 
not sponsoring or harboring terrorists.  Our priority is the 
border issue; we don't accept anything that is a side issue." 
 The Charge acknowledged having read the President's denials 
of the UN allegations in official media statements.  If the 
UN charges were false, Charge reasoned, the GSE had even more 
reason to support an open dialogue with the U.S.  Charge 
cautioned that while the GSE might view Somalia as a "side 
issue", the U.S. certainly does not and failure to address 
this impasse could have a very adverse, long-term impact on 
our relationship.  Haile did not address Charge's proposal 
for further dialogue, stating that the MFA could not discuss 
Somalia policy which had to occur at a higher level. 
 
 
ASMARA 00000709  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶8. (C) Reverting to a favorite GSE subject for grievance, 
Haile repeated the oft-heard tale of John Foster Dulles' 
position during the 1952 referendum, commenting that the U.S. 
never wanted Eritrea to exist.  However, she added, "even 
though we have that in our mind, we are working for the best 
for the U.S."  She further said she has never been instructed 
to work against the United States ) rather, her instructions 
have been to work together with the U.S.  Adding that Eritrea 
is small but a sovereign nation, she closed the meeting on 
the rhetorical question, "Why does the U.S. create 
unnecessary disagreements?" 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶9. (C) In our first official meeting with the MFA since the 
Oakland closure announcement, Post had hoped for a more 
productive discussion about the perceived steps and missteps 
that brought our governments to the present state of affairs. 
 Even a heated disagreement would have been welcome.  Instead 
our MFA interlocutors offered little in the way of 
discussion, avoiding our openings to address both Oakland and 
the State Sponsors of Terrorism List.  Nor did they express 
any interest in further discussion.  Our Americas Department 
interlocutors have clearly passed the buck to Protocol, and 
recused themselves from any responsibility in the 
decision-making process.  While we have requested a follow-on 
meeting with the Protocol Department to discuss the 
operational issues, we have little hope this meeting will 
produce anything new as our interlocutors will be the same 
individuals who have not addressed these problems over the 
course of the last year. 
 
¶10. (C) Post is not surprised, but nonetheless disappointed, 
to find that the MFA's go-to person for International 
Organizations, the UN and the Americas finds herself too 
junior to discuss core GSE policies, and views Somalia as a 
minor issue in shaping Eritrea's future.  While the meeting 
yielded little in the way of productive information or 
forward momentum in resolving any of our bilateral problems, 
it did demonstrate again that the true power, influence and 
decision-making for the GSE's foreign policy lies outside the 
MFA.  End Comment. 
MCINTYRE