VZCZCXRO6381
PP RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHDS #2710/01 2440756
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 010756Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7660
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 ADDIS ABABA 002710 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF AND AF/E 
LODNON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
CJTF-HOA FOR RADM HART AND POLAD 
USCENTCOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/31/2017 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS SO ET SU ER
SUBJECT: MELES DISCUSSES REGIONAL EVENTS WITH CJTF-HOA 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR DONALD YAMAMOTO FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (S/NF) Prime Minister Meles thanked Admiral Hart August 30 
for Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa's (CJTF-HOA) 
civil affairs projects, logistical support, and training for 
the Ethiopian military.  The Prime Minister lamented that 
Ethiopia bears the primary burden in Somalia for providing 
force protection for the Transnational Federal Government 
(TFG) as well as training the officials and military with 
little financial assistance or support from the international 
community.  He expressed doubt that there would be further 
additions to AMISOM forces for Somalia.  Meles reviewed 
Ethiopia's concerns in the region, highlighting Somalia as 
its major challenge.  The Prime Minster felt that the TFG 
would be able to survive allowing Ethiopian troops to 
withdraw soon.  After the next training session by the 
Ethiopian military, TFG forces will be able to handle 
extremists in most parts of Somalia, except for the lower 
Juba area from Kismayo south.  If these elements can be 
contained the TFG will continue to survive. 
 
¶2. (S/NF) The Prime Minister reviewed threats posed by the 
ONLF (Ogadeni National Liberation Front) and other insurgents 
to Ethiopia's domestic stability, Eritrea's destabilizing 
activities, and Sudan peace efforts, noting that Ethiopia is 
committed to providing peace keeping troops for Sudan.  Meles 
did not mention Eritrea at any great length.  He concluded by 
seeking CJTF-HOA's continued focus on enhancing Ethiopia's 
command and staff college and logistical support.  End Summary 
 
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CJTF-HOA IS KEY TO REGIONAL INTERACTION 
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¶3. (S/NF) The Prime Minister met August 30 with CJTF-HOA 
Commander Admiral Hart, Ambassador, DATT, CJTF Liaison 
Officer and the Admiral's personal assistant to review U.S. 
military programs for the region.  Admiral Hart briefed the 
Prime Minister, MFA Director General for North America and 
the PM's chief of staff on CJTF-HOA's civil affairs projects 
and training programs in Ethiopia and the region, and 
commitment to support Ethiopia's request for spare parts for 
C-130 aircraft and to continue civil affairs projects.  The 
Prime Minister expressed appreciation for CJTF-HOA's efforts 
and underscored support from CENTCOM in promotion of 
U.S.-established Command and Staff College as the top 
priority in professionalizing the Ethiopian military.  Meles 
stressed the need for continued logistical support, primarily 
spare parts for aircraft were also essential. 
 
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SOMALIA OPERATIONS 
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¶4. (S/NF) The Prime Minister lamented that Ethiopia continues 
to carry the primary burden of providing force protection for 
the TFG, support for the Ugandan troops, and training of TFG 
officials and military.  Thus far, the international 
community has not responded adequately to calls to provide 
the financial assistance to support the TFG, undercutting its 
viability and chance of survival.  Besides the United States, 
the Prime Minister praised Saudi Arabia for its financial 
contribution to the TFG.  On AMISOM troop deployments, Meles 
expressed deep pessimism that Ugandan troops would soon be 
relieved with additional troops.  Meles gave Burundi only a 
30 percent chance of being deployed and a much smaller chance 
of any other country providing troops for Somalia operations. 
 Ethiopia has, and will continue to, finance training for TFG 
officials in hopes of creating capacity for the TFG to 
operate a government.  Further, Ethiopia has trained some 
600-700 TFG troops from various clans, forming an integrated 
brigade.  Should this effort succeed, another one thousand 
troops will be trained and Meles expressed his hope that this 
would be sufficient to stabilize the TFG and allow Ethiopia 
troops to leave Somalia. The PM shared that there is concern among the 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00002710  002 OF 003 
 
 
newly trained TFG troops that they will be forced to rejoin their clan 
militias instead of being allowed to participate as a National Force. A 
joint Ugandan-Ethopian military training program of TFG troops 
failed when Uganda could not meet its commitment due to lack of 
funds.  The Ethiopian troops proceeded with training of TFG forces 
in Mogadishu. Meles said that they hoped to pull out some Ethiopian 
troops by the summer but would retain their flexibility to react to the 
situation inside Somalia.  Meles believes that it 
would be impossible to stop the violence completely but said that it 
could be managed. He said that "terrorism" is their 
primary focus and that a lot of the terrorist attacks going on in 
Mogadishu are being done by "free lancers" who need the money. 
 
¶5. (S/NF) The Prime Minster used the phrase "feckless" to 
express his frustration with the TFG and leadership across a 
spectrum of government institutions.  He noted the leadership 
needed to be more effective in forming a cohesive government. 
 The National Reconciliation Congress would hopefully support 
the strengthening of the TFG.  Financial challenges, fighting 
corruption and securing assistance will be key to the TFG's 
survival.  Overall, the Prime Minister was confident that the 
TFG would survive.  After the next training program of TFG 
military personnel, the TFG would be able to handle 
insurgents and extremists in most of Somalia.  The hard-core 
extremists in the lower Juba area, from Kismayo and to the 
south, are tough.  But a containment strategy would help 
limit operations by extremists and allow the TFG to 
consolidate their hold on the rest of the country. 
 
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OGADEN AND ERITREA 
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¶6. (S/NF) Meles believes that insurgent operations by the 
ONLF in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia pose the greatest 
domestic threat to their stability and does not want this to 
become a defining issue.  Symptomatic of the problems in the 
neighboring Somalia, Prime Minister Meles felt that the ONLF 
can be contained and the Ogaden region stabilized. 
Complaining about misinformation about the Ogaden, Meles 
underscored that the situation is improving.  Eritrea, the 
Prime Minister pointed out, was taking advantage of regional 
strife to undermine regional peace and security.  Meles said 
that he understands that CJTF-HOA may not want to involve 
themselves in the Ogaden issue, but CJTF-HOA could play a 
positive role in contribution to regional stability by 
continuing its programs in the region and expanding its 
coordination with the GOE from information sharing to 
logistical support.  Meles stated that the Ogaden situation 
cannot be resolved by military means alone and also must 
address food issues.  Eritrea has been engaged in activities 
to exacerbate regional instability through arms flows to 
insurgents and support for operations against Ethiopia as 
well as for rebel groups in Ethiopia, Meles argued.  Meles 
also believes the Eritrea situation can be resolved 
peacefully and that Ethiopia would not allow Eritrea to 
provoke them.  He said that at present Ethiopia would 
maintain the status quo. 
 
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SUDAN 
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¶7. (S/NF) Meles commented that Sudan was Ethiopia's second 
major challenge after Somalia.  To support stabilization of 
Sudan, Ethiopia is committed to providing peace keeping 
troops for Sudan.  Regardless of Ethiopia's financial strain 
in sustaining operations in Somalia, Meles regarded Sudan as 
critical to regional peace and to Ethiopia's security. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶8. (S/NF) Meles' warm reception of Admiral Hart underscores 
the evolving perception of the U.S.  Only a few months ago, 
the ENDF complained bitterly about the lack of U.S. 
commitment to meet past promises.  Since then, Central 
Command, CJTF-HOA and other DOD elements along with State 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00002710  003 OF 003 
 
 
Department funding have procured 3 million USD in C-130 spare 
parts a major thorn in bilateral relations since 2000 when 
U.S. officials promised to provide the spare parts.  Further, 
DOD elements are identifying assigned personnel to support 
the U.S.-established and State Department financed Command 
and Staff college, a high priority for the GOE, but it is 
only a temporary fix.  Committed funding and staffing needs 
to be identified immediately and put into effect if the 
school is to remain open.  Further, strong USG support for 
humanitarian efforts in the Ogaden and support for Ethiopia 
and the African Union in Somalia have enhanced bilateral 
relations. 
YAMAMOTO