US embassy cable - 02ROME639

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000639 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2012 
TAGS: PGOV, SO, ET, IT, UN 
SUBJECT: ITALIAN SUPPORT FOR SOMALI PEACE INITIATIVES 
 
REF: ROME 331 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POL M C THOMAS COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY AND COMMENT:  BECAUSE OF ITALY'S HISTORIC 
TIES WITH SOMALIA AND ETHIOPIA, THE GOI IS PLAYING A STRONG 
ROLE IN THE SOMALI PEACE PROCESS.  IT APPEARS TO SEE ITS ROLE 
AS BOTH ENCOURAGING ALLIED STATES TO SUPPORT THE MOI-LED 
RECONCILIATION EFFORT AND RECONCILING SOMALI-ETHIOPIAN 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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TENSIONS.  THE MFA HAS INDICATED ITS CONCERN (REF A) THAT 
ETHIOPIA COULD SPONSOR AGGRESSION AND FALSELY CLAIM TO BE 
ACTING AT U.S. BEHEST.  REPORTS OF A GOI-SPONSORED PEACE 
CONFERENCE ON FEB. 15 ARE SPURIOUS.  END SUMMARY AND COMMENT. 
 
2.  (C) AT A MEETING FEB. 5 WITH MINISTER BRUNO CABRAS, 
DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN AFFAIRS AT THE MFA, 
POST INQUIRED ABOUT A REPORT IN THE ITALIAN MEDIA OF A FEB. 8 
SOMALI OPPOSITION MEETING IN ROME, TO BE FOLLOWED BY A PEACE 
CONFERENCE AMONG FACTION REPRESENTATIVES HERE FEB. 15. 
CABRAS STATED THAT ANY SUCH MEETINGS WERE PRIVATE INITIATIVES 
OF WHICH HE WAS NOT AWARE.  HE SUGGESTED THAT THE PRESS HAD 
INCORRECTLY DESCRIBED AN EVENT ACTUALLY PLANNED FOR FEB. 15: 
AN MFA ROUNDTABLE ON SOMALIA FOR EUROPEAN EXPERTS AND 
ACADEMICS, NOT SOMALI OPPOSITION FIGURES. 
 
3.  (C) CABRAS INFORMED EMBOFFS THAT THE GOI WAS PLANNING A 
SOMALIA PEACE INITIATIVE, BUT THAT IT WOULD BE COMPLEMENTARY 
TO THE PLANNED NAIROBI PEACE CONFERENCE AND COORDINATED WITH 
RELEVANT PLAYERS, INCLUDING THE USG.  THE GOI WOULD NOT DO 
ANYTHING TO HARM THE NAIROBI PROCESS. 
 
4.  (C) ASKED ABOUT A RECENT ROUNDTABLE ON SOMALIA IN WHICH 
TWO FORMER GOI OFFICIALS CALLED FOR A SOMALI PEACE CONFERENCE 
TO BE HELD IN ROME INSTEAD OF NAIROBI, CABRAS STATED THAT 
THESE INDIVIDUALS SIDED WITH A PRO-ETHIOPIAN FACTION.  THIS 
GROUP PREFERRED A MEETING THAT WOULD DISCUSS ONLY TERRORISM, 
THEREBY DISCREDITING SOMALIA'S TRANSITIONAL NATIONAL 
GOVERNMENT.  CABRAS SAID HE HAD SHARED THE MFA'S VIEW--THAT 
THIS WAS A MISUSE OF THE TERRORISM ISSUE--WITH DEPARTMENT 
OFFICIALS RECENTLY. 
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5.  (U) A FEB. 7 MFA PRESS RELEASE REPORTED THAT MFA UNDER 
SECRETARY ALFREDO MANTICA HAD MET THAT DAY WITH A SOMALI 
 
SIPDIS 
DELEGATION HEADED BY OSMAN JAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE MIXED 
COMMISSION (ADMINISTRATION-PARLIAMENT) FOR NATIONAL 
RECONCILIATION.  THE PURPOSE OF THE ENCOUNTER WAS TO DISCUSS 
THE SOMALI PEACE PROCESS AND ITALY'S ROLE IN IT.  "THIS 
MEETING INITIATES AN INTENSE SERIES OF MEETINGS THROUGH WHICH 
THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT WILL MAINTAIN CONTACT WITH THE VARIOUS 
SOMALI PARTIES INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING TO THE PEACE 
PROCESS," MANTICA SAID.  "ITALY'S INITIATIVE, ALTHOUGH 
INDEPENDENT, COMPLEMENTS THE IGAD PROCESS ... IN ORDER TO 
SUPPORT IT AND ENSURE ITS SUCCESS....  ITALY IS READY TO 
PROVIDE THE POLITICAL SUPPORT NECESSARY TO ENSURE THE 
REALIZATION OF INTRA-SOMALI DIALOGUE."  ECHOING POINTS MADE 
IN PREVIOUS POST DISCUSSIONS WITH MFA, THE PRESS RELEASE ALSO 
NOTED, "WE CONSIDER INDISPENSABLE THE WIDEST POSSIBLE 
PARTICIPATION OF ALL SOMALI FACTIONS AT THE UPCOMING 
CONFERENCE IN NAIROBI, AND WE HOPE THAT THE TRANSITIONAL 
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AND ALL RELEVANT PARTIES COLLABORATE 
CLOSELY WITH KENYAN PRESIDENT MOI IN HIS COORDINATION EFFORTS 
..." 
 
6.  (U) A FEB. 5 ARTICLE IN THE ITALIAN DAILY LA STAMPA 
STATED THAT MANTICA HAD JUST RETURNED FROM A VISIT TO THE 
HORN OF AFRICA, WHERE HE MET MOI AND THE REPRESENTATIVES OF 
THE EIGHT WARRING SOMALI FACTIONS.  MANTICA IS QUOTED AS 
SAYING THAT SOMALIA SHOULD SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY THE PEACE 
CONFERENCE PRESENTS BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, BECAUSE IT RISKS 
BECOMING ANOTHER AFGHANISTAN.  MANTICA EMPHASIZED THE GOI'S 
READINESS TO WORK WITH ETHIOPIA, WITH WHOM IT SHARES HISTORIC 
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TIES, TO SMOOTH OVER ANY IRRITANTS IN ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH 
SOMALIA.  ITALY WOULD MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO INVOLVE THE EU IN 
ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL COMMITMENTS TOWARD PEACE. 
SEMBLER 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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 2002ROME00639 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL