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FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
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INFO RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 000187 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/E, S-USSE, AND IO/UNP 
LONDON FOR PLORD 
PARIS FOR WBAIN 
USEU FOR AFRICA WATCHEQ 
NSC FOR MGAVIN 
SECDEF FOR DASD VICKI HUDDLESTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM XA FI
SUBJECT: AU SUMMIT: AHTISSARI URGES TRANSATLANTIC COOPERATION 
 
This message is from USAU Ambassador Michael A. Battle. 
 
¶1.  (U) January 31, 2010, 4:00 p.m.; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 
 
¶2.  (U) Participants: 
 
United States 
Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson 
NSC Senior Director Michelle Gavin 
Ambassador Michael Battle 
AF Special Assistant Akunna Cook 
Political Officer Lauren Ladenson 
AU Desk Officer Ryan Bowles (notetaker) 
 
Finland 
Former President Maarti Ahtissari 
Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and Sudan Pekka Haavisto 
Peace and Reconciliation Adviser Jussi Ojala (notetaker) 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Summary:  Former Finnish President and Nobel Laureate 
Maarti Ahtissari said that transatlantic cooperation at the planning 
stage of any new initiative is crucial, and called on the U.S. to 
begin working with others on detailed planning for the independence 
of South Sudan.  Finnish Special Envoy Pekka Haavisto told A/S 
Carson that the international community, particularly the UN, needed 
to focus more on Puntland and Somaliland if we wished to curtail 
piracy.  A/S Carson asked Haavisto to look at the issue of raising 
AMISOM salaries to the UN-standard $1,100 per month in the hopes of 
recruiting additional countries to contribute troops, as we 
understand that one of the barriers is primarily the amount of EU 
financial support.  End summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Sudan:  We must plan for an independent South 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Former Finnish President and Nobel Laureate Maarti 
Ahtissari said that the Group of Elders was considering the best way 
to engage on Sudan.  They were asked a week ago to travel to 
Khartoum, but declined in order to see the results of former U.S. 
President Jimmy Carter's upcoming mission.  At the end of May, 
Carter will report to the Group at their next meeting in 
Johannesburg.  Based on Carter's report, the Group will consider a 
trip to Sudan. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Ahtissari reiterated his credentials as a devout 
Transatlanticist, saQng that he would tell President Obama that 
European reticence to be involved in Iraq and Afghanistan could 
mostly be traced to a lack of joint planning in the early stages of 
each conflict.  He says this points to a need for the U.S. and 
Europe to work together closely on issues of concern from day one -- 
and that in the case of Kosovo, for example, this coordination 
proved to be critical to the independent and stable coQtry we have 
today. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Moving back to Sudan, Ahtissari said that close planning 
and cooperation was desperately needed on planning for South Sudan's 
independence.  Unfortunately, he said, the UN, AU, and EU were 
really unable to discuss the issue seriously prior to the 2011 
referendum in Sudan.  Given that responsible multilateral 
institutions could not effectively plan, Ahtissari said that 
bilateral partners like the United States and others must start work 
immediately.  He said that we needed to start now to think about how 
alternative oil pipelines and energy arrangements, among other 
items, would work.  Ahtissari was pessimistic about the prospects 
for Sudanese unification, and did not believe the North would 
negotiate quickly or in good faith on the myriad issues inherent in 
splitting the Sudanese state during the immediate time period 
following the independence vote. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) A/S Carson said he agreed with Athissari's assessment, and 
said that independence was inevitable.  Carson thought that many 
governments and individuals were involved in "self-delusion" by 
thinking that unification remained a viable option, and Ahtissari 
agreed.  Ahtissari finished by saying that as much concern as he 
has, he feels he can not participate with the other Elders on Sudan, 
because his prior experience with the secession of Kosovo would 
remove his neutrality in the eyes of the Northern Sudanese. 
 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00000187  002 OF 002 
 
 
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Somalia:  Puntland and Somaliland are key 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Finnish Special Envoy Pekka Haavisto said he visited 
Mogadishu in May, and Puntland and Somaliland in August.  He is 
concerned that the international community is not doing enough to 
provide assistance to Puntland and Somaliland, as he believes that 
small investments would reduce piracy and strengthen their 
governments.  He is troubled that 15-year-old youth he spoke to in 
Puntland aspire more to be pirates than any other profession, and 
says that this points to the need to stimulate the local economy and 
provide jobs to young people.  Haavisto feels that in order to 
reduce piracy, the UN in particular must be less risk averse and 
more willing to work in Somaliland and Puntland.  He called for 
international aid to be split 50 percent each for economic 
development and hard security. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Haavisto felt safe on his 1500 km journey overland to 
Somaliland and Puntland with six local armed bodyguards he hired for 
$20 per day, per person.  He was advised that he would need 30 
guards to safely travel to pirate havens in the two regions.  While 
in Puntland he discussed the prospect of additional aid, and told 
A/S Carson that Puntland authorities assured him of the safety of 
any Western aid worker trying to help their people. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) A/S Carson took note of Haavisto's comments, and said 
that we would like to engage more with both Somali regions. 
However, our diplomatic security service was still not comfortable 
with the prospect of our sending diplomats to either Somaliland or 
Puntland.  Carson hoped this situation might change in the future. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Carson moved to the AMISOM mission, and pointed to the 
need for the AU to pay salaries in line with UN standards. 
Currently the AU pays $750 per soldier per month, while the UN 
standard rate is $1,100 per month.  We understood that the barrier 
to resolving this issue is primarily related to the level of EU 
funding for troop salaries, and that AU Chairperson Jean Ping is in 
favor of raising salaries.  Haavisto promised to look into the 
amount of EU funding. 
 
¶12.  (U) A/S Carson and NSC Senior Director Gavin have cleared this 
message. 
 
YATES