VZCZCXRO9189
PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHDS #1589/01 1881454
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 071454Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5372
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 7888
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEPADJ/CJTF HOA PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEWMFD/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 001589 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL MOPS KPKO SO ER ET
SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA URGES UNSC APPROVAL OF AFRICAN UNION CALL 
FOR SANCTIONS AGAINST ERITREA 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  Ethiopian Minister for Foreign Affairs 
Seyoum Mesfin and State Minister Dr. Tekeda Alemu on July 7 
called in the Ambassadors to the P-5 countries to urge them 
to convey to their respective capitals the need to support 
the July African Union (AU) resolution calling on the UNSC to 
levy sanctions on Eritrea for its destabilizing activities in 
Somalia.  Seyoum said Uganda, which will chair the UNSC this 
month, will be spearheading the AU efforts  in New York. 
Seyoum underscored the importance of UNSC support for 
Somalia, stating that the survival of the Transitional 
Federal Government (TFG) was at stake.  The TFG's future, and 
the stability of Somalia, depended on the actions and support 
of the UNSC in the coming weeks, he insisted.  End Summary. 
 
Ethiopia: The UNSC Should Support the AU Resolution 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Ethiopian FM Seyoum and his deputy, Dr. Tekeda, on 
July 7 called in the Ambassadors from the P-5 to urge them to 
convey to their capitals the urgency of supporting sanctions 
against Eritrea.  Seyoum noted that Tekeda, who led an 
Intergovernmental Agency for Development (IGAD) delegation to 
New York in June, was told by the UNSC that the IGAD 
resolution calling for sanctions on Eritrea would hold more 
weight if the African Union was also supportive because IGAD 
only represented East Africa, and some of its members had 
differences with Eritrea.  Seyoum said the African Union at 
its early July summit in Sirte, Libya passed a resolution, 
with Eritrea as the only dissenting voice, in support of the 
IGAD resolution.  Paragraphs 16 and 17 of the AU resolution 
calls on the UNSC to implement a no-fly zone and for a 
blockade of sea ports used by extremists to bring in weapons 
and funds to Somalia.  It also calls on the UNSC to impose 
sanctions on Eritrea for its destabilizing activities in 
Somalia, and calls on Eritrea to ends its occupation of 
Djiboutian territory. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Tekeda stressed that the UNSC should first approve 
the general concept of sanctions against Eritrea, then 
determine what sanctions to impose.  He thought that the 
sanctions should include a selected travel ban against senior 
Eritrean officials, and efforts to cutoff remittances from 
the U.S. and other countries.  Seyoum noted that Uganda, 
which will chair the UNSC this month, will be spearheading 
the efforts on behalf of the AU. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  In response, the French Ambassador was the most 
forward leaning of the P-5 representatives, noting that if 
the UNSC favored sanctions against Eritrea, there would need 
to be a new resolution, building on and combining the two 
prior UNSC resolutions condemning Eritrea for its occupation 
of Djiboutian territory, and calling for sanctions on 
countries destabilizing Somalia (UNSCR 1844 and 1843). 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  The U.S. Ambassador questioned Seyoum on 
Ethiopia's view of the formation of a stabilization force 
composed of Somalia's neighbors to help support AMISOM and 
the TFG.  Seyoum cautioned that Ethiopia should not be 
excluded from such a force because Ethiopian forces would be 
important should AMISOM forces need support in an evacuation 
scenario.  Thus, Ethiopia's inclusion in a stabilization 
force would allow the Ethiopians to better support AMISOM in 
an emergency.  (Note: Prime Minister Meles' recent views on 
scenarios for potential Ethiopian military activity in 
Somalia will be reported SEPTTEL.  End Note.) 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Seyoum avoided taking a position on the question 
of expanding the mandate for AMISOM.  He suggested that this 
would be for the UN and AU to discuss.  The primary focus, 
Seyoum said, should be on sanctions against Eritrea. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Seyoum concluded the brief meeting by stressing the 
importance of identifying, condemning, and sanctioning 
outside forces which were engaging in destabilizing 
activities.  If the UNSC does not take action now, in light 
of the overwhelming support of the AU countries, the very 
survival of the TFG could be at stake, Seyoum insisted.  If 
the TFG fails, the result would be regional instability and 
widespread terrorism by extremist groups, he predicted. 
Seyoum noted that there were consistent and persistent 
reports of foreign fighters flowing into Somalia and many 
with al-Qaeda ties.  Seyoum and Tekeda urged immediate 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00001589  002 OF 002 
 
 
assistance from the UNSC.  Seyoum noted that TFG President 
Sheikh Sharif and his deputy, Sharif Hassan were in Addis 
Ababa, and would be traveling to other IGAD countries to 
press for support for the AU resolution condemning Eritrea. 
YAMAMOTO