US embassy cable - 01DJIBOUTI401

UNCLAS DJIBOUTI 000401 
 
DEPT FOR AF/E 
CENTCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, DJ 
SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI: NEW PRIME MINISTER NAMED 
 
REF: DJIBOUTI 00265 
 
1.  PRESIDENT ISMAIL OMAR GUELLEH ANNOUNCED ON MARCH 4 
THE APPOINTMENT OF DILEITA MOHAMED DILEITA AS PRIME 
MINISTER.  DILEITA IS AN AFAR, AND IS PRESENTLY 
DJIBOUTIAN AMBASSADOR TO ETHIOPIA.  THE PREVIOUS PRIME 
MINISTER, BARKAT GOURAD HAMADOU, RESIGNED FEBRUARY 6 
BECAUSE OF POOR HEALTH, REF A.  SINCE INDEPENDENCE IN 
1977 THE PRESIDENT HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN AN ISSA AND 
THE PRIME MINISTER AN AFAR.  THERE IS SPECULATION, 
INCLUDING BY THE GOVERNMENT NEWS AGENCY, THAT 
DILEITA'S APPOINTMENT IS THE BEGINNING OF A CABINET 
RESHUFFLE.  THE POSITION OF PRIME MINISTER IS LARGELY 
CEREMONIAL, WIELDING LITTLE POWER. 
 
2.  THE APPOINTMENT IS AN INTERESTING COMPROMISE, 
BECAUSE DILEITA IS NOT A PARTY MEMBER OF EITHER THE 
RULING RPP, OR THE OPPOSITION FRUD.  HE IS KNOWN TO BE 
CLOSE TO THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER.  MOST PEOPLE HAD 
PREDICTED THAT ONE OF THE PROMINENT AFARS IN THE RPP 
WHO ARE MEMBERS OF THE CABINET WOULD GET THE NOD, SUCH 
AS ALI GUELLEH ABOUBAKER, PRESIDENTIAL CHIEF OF STAFF; 
MOHAMED DINI FARAH, MINISTER OF HEALTH; OR ALI MOHAMED 
DAOUD, MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE. 
 
3.  DILEITA MOHAMED DILEITA WAS BORN MARCH 12, 1958 IN 
TADJOURAH, DJIBOUTI TO AN INFLUENTIAL FAMILY.  HE WENT 
TO HIGH SCHOOL IN CAIRO, EGYPT AND RHEIMS, FRANCE, AND 
RECEIVED A DEGREE IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS FROM A COLLEGE IN 
MEDEA, ALGERIA IN 1981.  THE NEXT YEAR HE BEGAN A 
DIPLOMATIC CAREER IN THE DJIBOUTIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY. 
BY 1985 HE HAD THE RANK OF EMBASSY COUNSELOR, BUT 
REMAINED IN DJIBOUTI.  IN 1986 HE TRAINED IN THE 
FRENCH MINISTRIES OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND DEVELOPMENT. 
IN 1988 HE BECAME DEPUTY HEAD OF PROTOCOL IN THE 
PRESIDENT'S OFFICE.  IN 1993 HE BECAME COUNSELOR FOR 
CONSULAR AFFAIRS AT THE DJIBOUTAN EMBASSY IN PARIS, 
WHERE HE REMAINED UNTIL BEING APPOINTED AMBASSADOR TO 
ETHIOPIA IN 1996.  HE IS DIVORCED WITH ONE CHILD. 
 
4.  BARKAT, AGE 70, HAD BEEN PRIME MINISTER FOR 22 
YEARS.  FOLLOWING A STROKE MARCH 11, 2000, HE SPENT 
SIX MONTHS IN A PARIS HOSPITAL.  HE RETURNED TO 
DJIBOUTI OCTOBER 2, PARTLY PARALYZED.  MANY PEOPLE HAD 
THOUGHT THAT BARKAT'S LEAVING THE JOB WAS AN OPENING 
FOR PROGRESS IN THE POWER-SHARING NEGOTIATIONS WITH 
THE FRUD.  THE GOVERNMENT AND THE ARMED WING OF THE 
FRUD SIGNED A PEACE ACCORD FEBRUARY 7, 2000 THAT ENDED 
SIX YEARS OF OCCASIONALLY VIOLENT CLASHES, AND HAVE 
BEEN NEGOTIATING EVER SINCE.  THE ARMED WING OF THE 
FRUD IS LED BY AHMED DINI AHMED WHO SERVED BRIEFLY AS 
PRIME MINISTER JUST AFTER INDEPENDENCE.  THE 
NEGOTIATIONS HAVE NOT BEEN GOING WELL LATELY, AND IT 
WAS THOUGHT THAT THE PRIME MINISTERSHIP MIGHT BE A 
BARGAINING CHIP WITH THE FRUD. 
 
5.  THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SPENDING A LOT OF TIME OUT 
OF THE COUNTRY RECENTLY.  HE HAS BEEN BACK IN DJIBOUTI 
FOR ALMOST TWO WEEKS FOLLOWING TRIPS TO KHARTOUM AND 
ASMARA, AND HE LEAVES FOR BEIJING IN THE NEXT COUPLE 
OF DAYS.  THE PRESIDENT DECIDED NOT TO ATTEND THE 
AFRICAN SUMMIT ON AFRICAN UNION IN SIRTE, LIBYA, 
APPARENTLY PREFERRING TO WORK ON DOMESTIC POLITICS. 
BECAUSE THE PRIME MINISTER'S JOB IS LARGELY 
CEREMONIAL, IT IS THOUGHT THAT THE PRESIDENT DID NOT 
MISS THE SIRTE CONFERENCE JUST TO SELECT SOMEONE FOR 
THIS ONE POSITION, AND MORE CABINET CHANGES WILL BE 
MADE SOON.  HOWEVER, PREDICTING WHOLESALE CABINET 
CHANGES HAS BEEN POPULAR SPORT EVER SINCE ISMAIL OMAR 
GUELLEH CAME TO POWER IN APRIL 1999, YET THE ONLY 
CHANGE HE HAS MADE SO FAR IS TO NAME A NEW PRIME 
MINISTER. 
 
YAMAMOTO