VZCZCXRO6210
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHDJ #0565/01 1821023
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301023Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9356
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DJIBOUTI 000565 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E 
LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
CJTF-HOA FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON KPAO SOCI FR ER DJ
SUBJECT: DJIIBOUTIAN NATIONAL DAY: FLYING THE FLAG AND THANKING 
FRANCE 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  With tensions still running high on the 
Djibouti-Eritrea border, the GODJ marked Djiboutian National Day on 
June 27 with modest celebrations, thanks to allies, and a renewed 
appeal for national solidarity. Although a large portion of 
Djibouti's armed forces are deployed near the border area, a planned 
military parade in the capital went on as planned, with good 
attendance and participation.  In his annual national day address, 
President Guelleh called for redoubled efforts to fight poverty and 
ensure that all Djiboutians benefit from economic growth.  Guelleh 
also promised that Djibouti would continue to protect her 
territorial integrity, and thanked Djibouti's allies--and in 
particular France--for support during the ongoing border dispute. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------------- 
MILITARY PARADE: A GOOD SHOWING 
------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) National Day festivities kicked off at 6am June 27 with a 
parade at Camp Cheik Osman in Djibouti City.  Military leaders in 
attendance included Minister of Defense Ougoureh Kifleh Ahmed, Chief 
of the President's Military Cabinet Hassan Said Kaireh, CHOD MG 
Fathi Ahmed Houssein, Deputy Chief of Staff BG Hassan Ali Kamil, and 
East African Standby Brigade Commander and Djibouti Military 
Director of International Relations BG Osman Nour Soubagleh. 
Noticeably absent were Chief of Staff MG Zakaria Cheik Ibrahim and 
Navy Commander COL Abdourahman Aden Cher, who were presumably 
monitoring operations at the Djibouti-Eritrea border. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Approximately 700 military and 300 Gendarmes, police, and 
firefighters marched in the parade.  The parading troops displayed 
U.S. equipment (including approximately 15 Humvees, some with U.S. 
50 Caliber M2 machine guns, and several FMTV class trucks), and 
French equipment (including several Vehicule de l'Avant Blinde (VAB) 
or similar wheeled armored personnel carriers, and several Vehicule 
Blinde Leger (VBL) or similar light armored vehicles, unidentified 
truck-mounted rocket launchers, and assorted trucks.) 
 
--------------------- 
DJIBOUTI WILL PROTECT 
TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY 
---------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) At a 10am reception at his official residence, President 
Guelleh gave a short address, which was carried live by state-run 
media.  Guelleh began by thanking the armed forces of Djibouti for 
their dedication in the face of "Eritrean military aggression". 
Citing Djibouti's "essential and fundamental values" of "peace, 
liberty, fraternity, and unity," Guelleh said that Djibouti would 
not be drawn into the "logic of war" by Eritrea.  Guelleh affirmed 
Djibouti's willingness to seek a diplomatic solution by all 
available means, but also said that Djiboutians would "never 
tolerate" a threat to the "integrity of our national territory." 
 
--------------------------------- 
FIGHTING THE "TWO SPEED" SOCIETY 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) The meat of President Guelleh's speech focused on the fight 
against poverty in Djibouti.  Guelleh outlined the achievements of 
his administration, pointing to "palpable and tangible" improvements 
in health and education.  At the same time, he called for renewed 
efforts to include "our compatriots who feel marginalized and 
excluded from our rediscovered economic growth," saying that it was 
the "responsibility of the government not to accept the installation 
of a 'two-speed' society" in Djibouti. He outlined the continued 
work of the GODJ's National Social Development Initiative to address 
these disparities. 
 
¶6. (U) Evoking rising oil and food prices, Guelleh denounced 
speculation and called for more help from developed countries to the 
developing world.  He also summarized the GODJ's efforts to increase 
energy and food security, including wind and geothermal energy 
projects, a planned connection with the Ethiopian electricity grid, 
and agreements with Sudan and Ethiopia to grow crops on their 
territory for Djiboutian consumption. 
 
------------------------- 
EXPLICIT THANKS TO FRANCE 
------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) In previous years, Guelleh has delivered his speech in 
Arabic.  This year, Guelleh spoke in French, and explicitly thanked 
France twice--once singling out France for support during the 
ongoing Djibouti-Eritrea border situation, and once personally 
thanking President Sarkozy for his "courage and will to help create 
 
DJIBOUTI 00000565  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
a Palestinian state." 
 
¶8. (SBU) COMMENT: Several of President Guelleh's points about the 
need for all Djiboutians to benefit from economic growth and 
investment could have been taken directly from Post's Mission 
Strategic Plan.  While the background of the border conflict gave 
Guelleh special reason to call for national unity and thank 
Djibouti's allies, his overall message highlighted longtime GODJ 
goals: poverty reduction and economic growth.  END COMMENT. 
 
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