US embassy cable - 04DJIBOUTI523

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DJIBOUTI 000523 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY SECRETARY 
STATE ALSO FOR AF, AF/E, S/CT, DS/DSS/IP AND DS/DSS/ITA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/07/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, ASEC, PINR, DJ, RU 
SUBJECT: ENHANCING WORLDWIDE COUNTERTERRORISM COOPERATION 
WITH RUSSIA 
 
REF: STATE 71826 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR MARGUERITA RAGSDALE. 
REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). 
 
1. (C) Ambassador met April 7 at the Russian Embassy with 
Russia's Ambassador to Djibouti Alexandre Bregadze to note 
Deputy Minister Trubnikov's meeting with Deputy Secretary 
Armitage and to discuss the advancement of U.S.-Russian 
common interests in prosecuting the global war on terrorism. 
(see reftel)  Ambassador told Bregadze that the U.S. believes 
there is a need to work more closely with Russia in 
counterterrorism.  She noted that while Cold War images over 
the past decade have hindered bilateral cooperation between 
the U.S. and Russia on counterterrorism, we are now in a new 
era where the implications of terrorism for both nations are 
real. 
 
2. (S) Bregadze responded that he had also received 
communication from his government to develop more broader 
cooperation with the U.S.  He had been fully briefed on 
Deputy Secretary Armitage's meeting with Minister Trubnikov. 
Bregadze added that his mission had made an effort in this 
area with the American Embassy in the past, but had detected 
what he described as "a measure of reluctance" to engage. 
Ambassador responded that some of the concerns Bregadze 
expressed may relate to the previous state of relations 
between Russia and the United States or of language facility. 
The new era, however, now requires change.  She pledged the 
full cooperation of the Embassy and hoped that he would also 
reciprocate with his mission staff.  Ambassador conveyed to 
Bregadze, the name of Embassy's Regional Affairs Officer 
(RAO), who would be in a position to discuss with his Russian 
counterpart more technical aspects of our counterterrorism 
efforts. 
 
3. (C) Ambassador also stated that the Embassy has worked 
with Djibouti as part of the  Anti-Terrorism Assistance 
initiative of the U.S. to implement training of Djiboutian 
police and other law enforcement personnel in explosive 
incident countermeasures, post-blast investigations, VIP 
protection, hostage-taking negotiations and several other 
courses aimed at deterring and/or disrupting terrorist acts. 
She told Bregadze that Embassy's Regional Security Officer, 
with responsibility for Mission Security, would be able to 
brief his Russian counterpart on this training program. 
 
4. (S) Bregadze agreed and seemed pleased by the U.S. desire 
to cooperate. He stated, however, that he had a very small 
staff in Djibouti and none dedicated to counterterrorism. 
Yet there is an officer based at the Russian Embassy in Addis 
Ababa, he said, who has this portfolio and also services 
Djibouti.  Bregadze said he would ask this officer to get in 
touch with Embassy Djibouti's RAO. 
 
5. (C) Comment:  The Russian Ambassador is personable and an 
informed interlocutor, reads avidly, and selectively, has 
shared specific items with Ambassador, and appears to have a 
good grasp of U.S. strategic and economic interests in Africa 
and the Middle East.  He sees radical Islam, at the root of 
much of Middle East terrorism, as an ideology of poverty that 
has replaced ideologies such as Communism.  He sees no repeat 
no base for radical Islam in Djibouti. On Somalia, Bregadze 
expressed the belief that a federation of loosely associated 
states in Somalia proper might be the best route to peace 
there because of the intractable nature of tribal conflict. 
He also has expressed his conviction that no solution to the 
problem in Somalia is possible absent cooperation and input 
of Ethiopia. 
 
6. (C) Comment continued:  In response to Ambassador's 
comment on the difficulties of attracting staff to hardship 
posts in Africa, Bregadze stated that Russia's Foreign 
Ministry has a similar difficulty.  He said the problem is 
greater than the preferences of his country's diplomats. 
It's a matter of lack of bodies as experienced diplomats 
leave the Foreign Service for more attractive opportunities 
abroad or in the private sector. 
 
7. (C) Comment continued: Ambassador Bregadze served at 
Russia's mission in Paris as Cultural Attache and attended 
France's L'Ecole Nationale de Science Politique.  End comment. 
RAGSDALE