VZCZCXYZ0013
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHFR #0781 1150900
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 240900Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2753
INFO RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 1331
RUEHYN/AMEMBASSY SANAA PRIORITY 0219
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM PRIORITY 0341
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 2248
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 0796
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 1145
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 6894
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 8813
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM PRIORITY 1606
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 1595
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 0421
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY 2281

UNCLAS PARIS 000781 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL EAID PGOV SO FR
SUBJECT: SOMALIA ICG MEETING:  FRANCE TO ATTEND AS PART OF 
EU DELEGATION 
 
REF: A. STATE 41385 
 
     ¶B. GAREY-KANEDA E-MAIL (4/23) 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  In response to ref A demarche, MFA acting Somalia 
desk officer Frederic Bouvier said on April 23 that the 
French had been in discussion with the Norwegian organizers 
of the April 30 Somalia International Contact Group meeting. 
Bouvier said that France would attend, but only as part of 
the EU delegation.  Bouvier said that Somalia desk officer 
Thierry Caboche would be the French representative.  Bouvier 
remarked that attendance as part of the EU delegation was not 
a problem in terms of France's not being an "official" 
individual member of the ICG.  The recent piracy incident in 
Somalia had raised French interest in issues involving 
Somalia, he commented.  This was reflected in France's work 
on regional piracy issues at the UN and in its interest in 
the April 30 Oslo meeting.  He said that the MFA would inform 
us if it had any comments on ref A points. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  In a brief April 24 follow-up exchange, Bouvier 
said that the French were "perfectly comfortable" with the 
approach set forth in ref A points. 
 
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm 
 
 
STAPLETON