VZCZCXYZ0468
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHGV #0233 0871506
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 271506Z MAR 08
FM USMISSION GENEVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6263
INFO RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0880

C O N F I D E N T I A L GENEVA 000233 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
ADDIS FOR REFCOORD SHEALY 
STATE FOR PRM/AFR AND PRM/MCE/ICRC 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2018 
TAGS: PREF ICRC ET
SUBJECT: ICRC REQUESTS U.S. SUPPORT TO RETURN TO OGADEN 
 
REF: STATE 5906 
 
Classified By: ACTING COUNSELOR DAVID REIMER FOR REASONS 1.4 B&D. 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary: Refugee Officer (RefOff) met with ICRC 
officials to discuss ICRC's ongoing efforts to obtain 
clarification from the Government of Ethiopia (GOE) as to why 
ICRC was expelled from the Ogaden some eight months ago. 
ICRC reported that their meeting with the State Secretary of 
Foreign Affairs on March 13 had resulted, once again, in an 
unsatisfactory response.  ICRC requested U.S. help vis-a-vis 
the GOE, although ICRC would prefer U.S. intervention be 
delivered informally.  ICRC suggested the U.S. could urge the 
GOE to provide a response to ICRC of its investigation, which 
ICRC believes is largely focused on one ICRC staff member, 
and to outline a path for their return to the Ogaden.  ICRC 
is approaching the U.S. only at this time for its support. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (C) Refugee Officer (RefOff) met with Daniel Duvillard, 
ICRC Head of Operations for East Africa, and Alain Schmid, 
Deputy Head of Operations, to discuss ICRC's ongoing efforts 
to obtain clarification from the Government of Ethiopia as to 
why ICRC was expelled from the Ogaden some eight months ago. 
Duvillard reported that their meeting with the State 
Secretary of Foreign Affairs on March 13 had resulted, once 
 
SIPDIS 
again, in an unsatisfactory response.  Duvillard mentioned 
that it appears the GOE is focusing its investigation largely 
on one former staff who has already been transferred to 
another assignment.  Nevertheless, according to Duvillard, 
the GOE continues to punish ICRC as an institution for what 
it characterized as a misinterpretation of the actions of one 
staff member. 
 
¶3.  (C)  Duvillard said that ICRC's President, Jakob 
Kellenberger, had requested previously PRM's support to 
return to the Ogaden, but that ICRC had wanted to exhaust all 
channels to try to obtain the government's report of their 
investigation before deciding to formally request U.S. 
intervention.  Duvillard said that ICRC now believes it is 
time to seek U.S. support with the GOE.  Duvillard added that 
ICRC's Director of Operations, Pierre Kraenbeuhl, is planning 
to write a letter to the GOE, outlining the evolution of the 
problem, describing ICRC's efforts to discuss the conclusions 
of the government's investigation, and to complain that after 
so much time, the GOE has still not provided ICRC with an 
adequate response of its investigation nor has the GOE 
indicated if they will negotiate ICRC's return to the Ogaden. 
 Duvillard said that ICRC wanted to keep the issues of the 
return to Ogaden separate from their discussions to regain 
access to detention facilities and is only seeking U.S. help 
for the Ogaden issue. 
 
¶4.  (C) RefOff asked Duvillard how ICRC envisions U.S. 
intervention.  He said ICRC still did not want the U.S. to 
intervene of "behalf of" the ICRC, but said the U.S. 
Ambassador in Addis had previously offered to intervene 
"informally," during discussions with senior government 
officials.  He thought the U.S. could discuss with the GOE 
the status of their investigation, to encourage the GOE to 
provide ICRC with a response to its investigation, and to 
indicate to ICRC whether or not the GOE would allow ICRC to 
return to the Ogaden.  Duvillard said he is not convinced the 
GOE wants ICRC to return to the Ogaden, citing ICRC's own 
internal operating guidelines and conditions under which ICRC 
agrees to work in any given region.  He said the GOE may feel 
obliged to loosen current restrictions on UN agencies in the 
Ogaden if the government were to approve ICRC's return. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Duvillard said that ICRC is only approaching the U.S. 
at this stage for assistance.  Still, ICRC's wish to keep any 
U.S. intervention informal would indicate ICRC is reluctant 
to enter into a direct confrontation with the GOE as has 
happened in the past (Note: Duvillard mentioned that the 
State Secretary had commented to ICRC that the GOE is not 
affected by outside pressure.  End note.).  PRM should 
consider how best to intervene with the GOE and possibly to 
seek more input from the local ICRC office on the details of 
any such message to be passed to the GOE. 
TICHENOR