US embassy cable - 04DJIBOUTI441

UNCLAS DJIBOUTI 000441 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC, PGOV, PREL, PTER 
SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI "SHOCKED" AT CANCELLATION OF GERMAN 
PRESIDENT'S VISIT 
 
 
1. (U) German President Johannes Rau cancelled his 
trip to Djibouti, scheduled for Wednesday, March 24th, 
at the last minute due to "considerable and concrete 
personal risk to the President," according to German 
security services.  Rau's trip to Djibouti was the 
third stop in a three-country African tour, also 
including Nigeria and Tanzania.  Post, and most of 
the Djiboutian government, learned of the cancellation 
on Wednesday, the 24th, from Washington and French 
news sources.  Djiboutians Communications Minister, 
Rifki Abdoulkader Bamakhrama, responded to the 
cancellation.  "There is no plot against any president 
from any country...There is no risk signaled by our 
security service."  German Ambassador, Dr. Helga 
Graefin Strachwitz, based in Addis Ababa, had visited 
Embassy Djibouti for a courtesy call to Ambassador 
Ragsdale, Tuesday, March 23rd, during which she had 
confirmed the intention of President Rau to visit 
Djibouti. 
 
2. (U) The purpose of Rau's visit was to meet with 
German troops stationed in Djibouti as part of the 
Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) 
operation, as a farewell gesture before he steps down 
this year.  Rau was also to meet with Djiboutian 
President Ismail Omar Guelleh to discuss issues of 
military cooperation, the regional situation, and 
anti-terrorism prevention.  This visit was to be 
the first by a German head of state to Djibouti. 
 
3. (U) Djiboutian news sources reported Wednesday 
evening that President Rau spoke to President 
Guelleh on the phone, conveying his apologies for 
having to cancel the visit.  The news sources did 
not expound on what, if any, other topics of 
conversation were covered.  The Thursday edition of 
La Nation, the government run newspaper, printed a 
heated response to the cancellation with the title 
"Djibouti exprime son etonnement" - Djibouti 
Expresses Its Shock.  This half-page article ran 
above-the-fold on the front page of the paper.  The 
article was nearly editorial in nature, with added 
punctuation to express sarcasm and disbelief, as well 
as, vehement language to express the reaction of the 
Djiboutian government, delivered through the Ministry 
of Foreign Affairs (MFA).  According to the article, 
an MFA official expressed Djibouti's "shock and great 
surprise" at the cancellation, which was done 
"unilaterally and without consultation with the 
Djiboutian government."  Later in the article, the 
author used the words "And God knows how many heads 
of state and other important persons have passed 
through Djibouti, without fearing for their life and 
their person."  The article later states that the 
telephone conversation between Guelleh and Rau 
included mutual sentiments re-affirming their 
commitment to "reinforce Djiboutian-German bilateral 
relations and coordinate their efforts to instill 
peace and stability in this region of the world." 
The author of the La Nation piece smoothed things 
over by adding at the end "and that's how nothing 
can come to shake the good will between two friendly 
countries."  The comment may be tongue and cheek, but 
indicate a Djiboutian willingness to forget the incident. 
RAGSDALE