VZCZCXYZ4389
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDS #0583/01 0630832
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 030832Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9781
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 7282
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

C O N F I D E N T I A L ADDIS ABABA 000583 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF, AF/E AND INR/AA 
LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHERS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2018 
TAGS: ER ET PBTS PGOV PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: MFA DISCUSSES SOMALIA, ETHIOPIA/ERITREA AND 
INTERNAL POLITICS 
 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR DONALD YAMAMOTO REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Officials from Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs including State Minister Dr. Tekeda Alemu met for 
lunch with Ambassador Yamamoto and Emboffs.  The discussion 
was wide-ranging and candid.  On Somalia, the MFA shared 
information regarding the Foreign Minister,s February 27 
trip to Baidoa and their  opinions on the leadership in 
Mogadishu.  Regarding the Ethiopia/Eritrea border situation 
and the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea 
(UNMEE), Minister Tekeda updated the Ambassador on their view 
of the UN Security Council's actions. On internal politics, 
the Minister offered his views on democratization and the 
opposition.  Several members of the MFA delegation expressed 
concern over U.S. government reporting on internal Ethiopian 
matters including the Ogaden and human rights. Finally, 
Minister Tekeda expressed enthusiasm for a continued broad 
dialogue on the Ethiopia-U.S. bilateral relationship.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
SOMALIA 
--------- 
¶2. (C) Abdetta Dribssa, Assistant Chief of the Minister's 
Cabinet, and Minister Tekeda discussed Abdetta's trip with 
Foreign Minister Seyoum on February 27 to Baidoa.  They 
stated that the meeting went very well, and that the 3 
parties -- FM Seyoum, President Yusuf, and Prime Minister Nur 
Hassan Hussein -- laid all issues out on the table.  Tekeda 
stated that Prime Minister Nur, and the Ethiopian Government 
(GoE), came out of the meeting pleased with the results. 
Tekeda did not go into detail on the specifics of the meeting 
and promised a read-out at a later date. 
 
¶3. (C) When queried on the current relationship between 
President Yusuf and Prime Minister Nur, Abdetta commented 
that each brings something to a coalition government, with 
Yusuf bringing members of the Darod clan and Nur brining 
members of the Hawiye clan into the Transitional Federal 
Government (TFG).  Abdetta stated, however, that Yusuf's 
participation in the TFG past 2009 was uncertain at this time. 
 
¶4. (C) Ambassador Yamamoto conveyed concerns about the value 
and contribution of the Mayor of Mogadishu, Mohamed Dheere. 
Abdetta related that Dheere is not a popular figure, but he 
was helpful when the TFG was fighting to gain control of 
Somalia.  He further shared that changes in the institutional 
framework of Somalia, which the GoE is currently working on, 
are more important than the presence or absence of individual 
players.  Tekeda added that there are a number of activities 
planned to strengthen institutions in Somalia, although they 
are proceeding more slowly than expected. 
 
ETHIOPIA/ERITREA AND UNMEE 
-------------------------- 
¶5. (C) Ambassador Yamamoto informed the MFA delegation that 
the U.S. is pushing a two-pronged approach to the current 
UNMEE situation, first focusing on getting the troops out of 
Eritrea and then moving to possible sanctions.  The 
Ambassador reiterated the need to maintain a strong stance in 
this unprecedented standoff between Eritrea and the UN. 
 
¶6. (C) Minister Tekeda stated that the GoE feels that the UN 
Security Council (UNSC) is not being helpful in resolving the 
situation.  In particular, he mentioned South Africa and 
Italy as being unsupportive.  He is pleased with support from 
the U.S., France, and Great Britain.  He said 
that the GoE is asking the Chinese to at least abstain on a 
sanctions vote. Although the Chinese have not yet responded 
to the request, Tekeda expressed confidence that China would 
abstain if such a vote were taken.  He stated that there are 
serious implications to the UNSC not taking serious and swift 
action in this instance, and called into question the future 
credibility of the UNSC if they do not act.  Ambassador 
Yamamoto related that the UN's reaction in the next two to 
three weeks is critical. 
 
DEMOCRATIZATION AND POLITICAL SPACE FOR OPPOSITION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶7. (C) DCM Deborah Malac raised the issue of democratization 
 
and the need for Ethiopia to strengthen its democratic 
institutions and processes.  The Ambassador added that the 
EPRDF has nothing to fear in giving more political space to 
the opposition because, right now, the ruling party is much 
more organized.  If, the Ambassador said, EPRDF allowed more 
debate and political space, the attention of the people of 
Ethiopia could turn to economic improvement while reducing 
the perception of political risk among potential investors. 
 
¶8. (C) Minister Tekeda responded strongly to these comments. 
He stated that the EPRDF needs to be open to criticism, but 
that the U.S. has to recognize that developing countries like 
Ethiopia face challenges in democratization.  He pointed out 
that democratization in the U.S. took time and was not 
without problems.  He also said that people in developing 
countries today set expectations for democratization 
universally -* not just in the context of their own nation. 
He made a plea for more empathy and sympathy from the U.S. 
and other donors as Ethiopia progresses in democratization. 
Nevertheless, Tekeda was adamant that while the EPRDF should 
be more open to, and partners should raise, points of genuine 
criticism about GoE actions, it is fundamentally unacceptable 
to question the GoE,s motives behind such actions. 
 
¶9. (C) Tekeda also emphasized the need for empirical 
verification of any allegations made.  He was particularly 
critical of the opposition parties using embassies as a last 
court of appeal for disputes, calling the practice degrading 
and stating it has a corrosive effect.  He said that the 
EPRDF is not taking actions to make Washington happy, but 
rather to ensure stability.  He stated that there is a need 
for consensus among the political class as a whole regarding 
national security and other vital issues, and posited that 
national security cannot be assured without the ruling EPRDF. 
 
¶10. (C) Tekeda characterized the opposition as "not helpful" 
and in need of improvement.  He specifically refuted charges 
made by OFDM party Chairman Bulcha Demeksa on the Ethiopian 
Review website claiming that the GoE requires MFA 
authorization before opposition parties may meet with foreign 
guests. 
 
U.S. REPORTING - HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT AND THE HUMANITARIAN 
ASSISTANCE TEAM (HAT) 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Minister Tekeda took umbrage to Ethiopia's past 
treatment in the State Department's Human Rights Report 
(HRR).  He said that while Ethiopia should not be 
congratulated, the criticism in the report should have a 
sound evidentiary basis.  Minelik Alemu, Director General for 
International Law and Consular Affairs, continued the 
criticism of the HRR.  He stated that in some areas of the 
report, the assessment dates to 1991 and is no longer 
accurate.  He communicated the difficulty that the report 
causes the GoE.  Because they disagree with many of the 
findings, they put out statements refuting the report and 
then, having been put on the defensive, ignore the report. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) In response, the DCM told the MFA guests about the 
strict requirements for writing the report.  The guests were 
interested in the fact that the report is not designed to 
address strengths or progress, only shortcomings. 
 
¶13.  (SBU) Minister Tekeda raised the issue of the USG 
Humanitarian Assistance Team (HAT team) which has recently 
completed an assessment of conditions in the Ogaden region. 
Tekeda and Minelik argued that the team,s findings must be 
further studied by technical experts within the GoE and 
discussed with the HAT team before the findings of the report 
are made public.  Ambassador and DCM emphasized that the HAT 
team is not working on a public product, and that the 
report's findings are more positive and proactive than others 
reporting on the area. 
 
DESIRE FOR CONTINUED DIALOGUE 
----------------------------- 
 
¶14. (SBU) On several occasions during the luncheon, Tekeda 
expressed a desire to meet on a more frequent basis in a 
 
friendly setting to discuss the bilateral Ethiopia-U.S. 
relationship.  Tekeda shared that, in his opinion, the 
relationship, up to the present, has been one of altruism on 
the part of the U.S. rather than a truly mutually beneficial 
one.  He would like to engage in discussion of, among other 
topics, the role of China in the U.S.-Ethiopia bilateral 
relationship and how the two countries' economic relationship 
will be transformed in the next five years. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶15. (C) This meeting, the first between Ambassador Yamamoto 
and Minister Tekeda in a non-office setting, offered an 
opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues. The topics 
raised were not always of mutual agreement, and the luncheon 
provided an opportunity for less formal discourse.  Minister 
Tekeda's desire to continue such meetings provides another 
window of access to the GoE and a means of getting issues on 
the table.  END COMMENT. 
YAMAMOTO