VZCZCXRO4946
OO RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNR #2688/01 3580835
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 240834Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0278
INFO SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 002688 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR AF/RSA, AF/PD, AND AF/E 
ALSO FOR S/CT ZROTHSCHILD 
ALSO FOR IIP/CTCC MAUSTEIN AND JVANDEVELDE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO PTER MOPS SO
SUBJECT: SOMALIA - PD ACTIVITIES UPDATE, DECEMBER 23 
 
REF: NAIROBI 2537; 07 STATE 116686 
 
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Summary 
 
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¶1. (SBU) Per ref B, Post submits the following update for the third 
week of December 2009.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
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PD Activities 
 
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¶2. (SBU) The Somalia Unit, including the Military Information 
Support Team (MIST) dedicated to Somalia, performed para. 3-8 
activities since the last report: 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Counselor for Somalia Affairs conducted a press 
roundtable on December 22 to discuss the recent meeting of the 
International Contact Group for Somalia in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 
The journalists showed a high level of interest in U.S. views on 
the ICG meeting, and coverage was excellent.  TFG-owned Radio 
Mogadishu, apparently having secured a recording of the event from 
another media outlet, featured the item prominently on both its 
broadcasts and on the station's website (www.radiomuqdisho.net). 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Somalia Unit issued a press statement on December 23 
calling for the release of the VOA Somali Service reporter who was 
arrested by Puntland authorities on December 22.  The statement was 
carried in Somali media.  We have also registered our concern 
directly with Puntland President "Faroole" (ref A). 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) During the December 10-11 Somalia regional conference in 
Nairobi, participants discussed public diplomacy in nearly all of 
the sessions, focusing on the importance of our own outreach, in 
addition to the ongoing effort to boost the TFG's own media 
efforts. 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Public Diplomacy Assistant is in the process of adding 
several features to the Virtual Presence Post (VPP) website 
(http://somalia.usvpp.gov/) highlighting the activities being 
carried out inside Somalia under the grants written at the end of 
FY09.  Many of these activities have included a high level of 
branding, representing a leap forward in our public diplomacy 
efforts inside Somalia.  Activities completed to date include a 
'youth for peace' workshop in Mogadishu, a microfinance/youth 
employment project in which over 100 youth in Mogadishu were given 
kits to start shoe shine business, and a vocational center for 
youth in Bossaso. 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) PAO traveled to CJTF-HOA to meet the new detachment of 
psychological operations personnel and discuss how to include the 
new detachment in the overall public diplomacy effort toward 
Somalia. 
 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) MIST activity:  Continued discussions with contractor in 
the production of an anti-extremism comic book series.  Also 
working on developing new programs in light of a decrease in 
immediately-available funding, and develop proposals to secure 
 
NAIROBI 00002688  002 OF 002 
 
 
additional funds. 
RANNEBERGER