US embassy cable - 05NAIROBI4757

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 004757 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2025 
TAGS: PREL, ECON, PTER, SU, SO, KE, SLM, CPA 
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY'S MEETING WITH PRESIDENT KIBAKI 
OF KENYA (NAIROBI, STATE HOUSE, NOVEMBER 8, 2005) 
 
 
Classified By: D Chief of Staff Chris Padilla, Reasons: 1.4(B&D) 
 
1. (C)  SUMMARY:  Deputy Secretary Zoellick and Kenyan 
President Kibaki agreed November 8 to keep pressure on the 
Sudanese parties to implement the Comprehensive Peace 
Agreement.  Zoellick pushed for greater Kenyan progress on 
counter-terrorism and the Kenyans urged greater U.S. 
engagement on Somalia.  Domestically, Kenya hopes to enjoy 
continued economic growth, while Kibaki downplayed the 
implications of his own government's campaign for a new 
national constitution.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (C)  PARTICIPANTS: 
USG: 
Deputy Secretary Zoellick 
Ambassador William Bellamy 
A/S Jendayi Frazer 
NSC Cindy Courville 
Embassy Notetaker Randy Fleitman 
 
GOVERNMENT OF KENYA: 
President Mwai Kibaki 
Presidential Advisor Stanley Murage 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Ambassador 
Boaz Mbaya 
Notetaker 
 
3. (C)  Deputy Secretary Zoellick called on President Mwai 
Kibaki at State House late the afternoon of November 8.  The 
Deputy Secretary noted that he had spent the day meeting with 
Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) leaders and representatives 
from the AU, UN and other international partners to press the 
rebels to unify, to respect the cease-fire in Darfur and to 
proceed with the talks in Abuja.  He would next meet with 
Sudanese leaders in Khartoum to discuss setting up the 
Assessment and Evaluation Commission to oversee 
implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). 
Vice President Taha had already agreed to this.  Norwegian 
Tom Vraalsen was selected to Chair the Commission, and Kenyan 
General Sumbeiywo for Vice Chairman.  The General was eager 
to get the Commission up and running, which is necessary to 
focus the Government of Sudan (GOS) on implementing the CPA 
and resuming the momentum lost after Garang,s death in late 
July. 
 
4. (C)  Zoellick thanked President Kibaki for Kenya,s role 
in Somalia and Sudan, including reconciliation among the 
Southern factions, and asked him to help the peace process in 
Southern Sudan move forward.  He also expressed thanks for 
Kenya,s support in counter-terrorism (CT), especially the 
good cooperation from the security services.  Zoellick noted 
the importance of passing an anti-terrorism law and reviving 
the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) after this month's 
referendum, and renewed our offer to assist in the 
integration of investigations and prosecutions. 
 
5. (C)  President Kibaki agreed that implementation of the 
CPA was critical to repairing years of neglect in the South 
by the government of Sudan. Khartoum should contribute funds 
to building infrastructure and providing critical services 
and jobs for returning refugees.  The region,s needs were 
urgent, and there has been no progress to date.  If the 
refugees, expectations were not met, instability was likely. 
 Building up Southern Sudan would boost the regional economy. 
 Kibaki expressed concern that Khartoum,s poor 
communications with the Southern Sudanese leaders and its 
appointment of an Oil Minister and other officials without 
consultation were bad signs. 
 
6. (C)  Zoellick noted that the National Petroleum Commission 
would be established under the CPA to divide oil revenues, 
which would give the regional government some resources to 
work with.  He agreed on the importance of closely monitoring 
GOS implementation of the Petroleum Commission and the rest 
of the CPA.  He asked about Kenyan assistance to help the 
regional government establish Ministries or institutions, but 
Kibaki denied any such assistance, claiming it would have 
been interference in a delicate situation. 
 
7. (C)  Ambassador Mbaya called for the international 
community, particularly developed countries, to help allay 
both sides, concerns about the CPA -- and to push the 
parties to implement it.  He agreed that implementation of 
the CPA is also important to stabilizing the situation in 
Darfur.  He claimed that, although the next AU Summit will be 
held in Khartoum, it has not yet been determined whether 
Sudan will accede to the Chairmanship. 
 
8. (C)  Prompted by the Deputy Secretary to comment on 
political and economic developments in Kenya, President 
Kibaki said there were no real issues at stake in the 
constitutional referendum campaign.  No one was even debating 
the merits of the new constitution.  The campaign against the 
draft Constitution, he claimed, was entirely a struggle for 
political advantage.  Economic news was mostly good, Kibaki 
asserted. He hoped the 5% growth of 2005 would continue in 
the next two years, but worried that drought had delayed the 
fall planting, and could hurt growth in 2006 and force his 
government to spend funds on drought relief, rather than 
development.  Murage predicted GDP growth in 2006 over 5%, 
and expected rising profits at parastatals and increasing 
efficiency in Kenyan Government agencies would more than 
compensate for increased drought relief subsidies. 
 
9. (C)  In response to a question from about U.S. policy in 
Somalia, A/S Frazer said she was reviewing the current 
policy, which was to build up transitional institutions, but 
not to take sides.  The U.S. is taking a leadership role in 
many quarters in Africa, including Sudan, and may do so with 
the Ethiopian-Eritrean dispute.  But our policy has been to 
let the UN and IGAD continue to take the lead in Somalia. 
Mbaya said stability was needed in Somalia, and Kenya would 
like to see the developed countries build up the capacity of 
Somalia,s military and civil institutions.  The UN arms 
embargo was a problem that could be circumvented by deploying 
limited forces in Somalia.  The Deputy Secretary stated that 
President Bush shared Kenya,s security concerns about 
Somalia.  Terrorist cells are active there, creating a real 
threat. 
ROWE