VZCZCXRO4112
PP RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNR #2703 3371648
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021648Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7791
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC 3112
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS NAIROBI 002703 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR AF/E AND A/S FRAZER 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM SOCI SO
SUBJECT: SOMALIA - TFG, ARS, CIVIL SOCIETY DISCUSS FUTURE GOVERNMENT 
MODELS 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and 
the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) held a workshop on 
federalism and decentralization in Nairobi from November 27 to 29. 
The conference drew together high level, cross-clan and 
cross-regional representation from Somali scholars, civil society, 
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Alliance for the 
Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) officials, including Prime Minister 
Nur Hassan Hussein and ARS Central Committee Chairman Sharif Hassan 
Sheikh Adan.  Participants candidly discussed federal, unitary and 
other forms of government, and their suitability for Somalia.  A 
large majority of participants expressed reservations about 
federalism, and suggested a highly devolved unitary system for 
Somalia, in which the central government would delegate power to 
regional or local officials or bodies.  Participants recognized that 
the workshop was an endorsement of the November 26 TFG/ARS unity 
government agreement reached in Djibouti. The conference debate 
contributed to the Independent Federal Constitutional Commission's 
inclusive efforts to draft a national constitution.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) At Prime Minister Hussein's request, UNDP and UNPOS jointly 
organized a three-day workshop on federalism and decentralization in 
Nairobi on November 27-29.  A cross-section of the Somali diaspora's 
constitutional, economic and governance experts, local Somali 
political leadership, civil society representatives and 
international subject matter experts participated in the workshop. 
Prime Minister Hussein opened and closed the conference, which we 
also attended. 
 
¶3. (SBU) On the first and second days, Somali and international 
experts made presentations on federalism and other forms of 
government, clan realities in Somalia, electoral management 
structure, and governance institutions within the various systems. 
On the third and final day a Somalis-only closed session was held 
and participants divided into three groups to discuss and address 
concerns on each of three questions: aspects of the various  systems 
of government that they would like to see in the new constitution; 
the concerns they had about a federal system; and priority issues, 
such as economic, clan, treatment of minorities they would like to 
see addressed by any system of government.  Transparency and 
accountability, democracy and good goverance, rule of law, a fair 
and equitable distribution of resources, and  separation of powers 
were some of the issues discussed in all three groups. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Details of these closed door sessions were scarce, but 
participants told us there was little support for federalism as a 
viable model for Somalia.  Despite, or possibly because, the TFG's 
charter prescribed federalism as the system of governance, many 
participants concluded that a unitary but highly devolved system of 
government was right for Somalia.  Much of their concern centered on 
the potential size and power of a federalist government.  Responding 
to participants' fears, Mark Bowden, UNDP resident coordinated, 
argued there was "nothing necessarily wrong with the 'F' word." 
Prime Minister Hassan called for the formation of a technical team 
of experts to review and to develop further the workshop's key 
findings, a request UNDP agreed to undertake. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Conference participants lauded the workshop for its 
substance and timing, given the TFG's and ARS's November 26 Djibouti 
agreement on the composition of a unity government. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment: Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the 
conference was the effortless way in which ARS and TFG officials 
interacted.  We marveled as PM Hussein and ARS leader Sharif Hassan 
conversed freely, when six months ago they would not have set foot 
in the same room.  The Prime Minister seemed to command respect from 
both TFG and ARS participants.  It was also clear that participants 
were pleased with progress in Djibouti on a unity government, and 
talk of next steps dominated chatter on the margins of the 
conference. 
RANNEBERGER