US embassy cable - 99GABORONE5380

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GABORONE 005380 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/04 
TAGS: PREL, SADC, MZ, ZU 
SUBJECT: THE NEW LOOK OF SADC--PRESIDENCY PLANS 
AMBITIOUS RESTRUCTURING 
 
REF:  GABORONE 4211 
 
CLASSIFIED BY DCM SCOTT DELISI.  REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY.  THE SECRETARY'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE 
TO SADC TRAVELED OCTOBER 11-13 TO MOZAMBIQUE TO CONSULT 
WITH GOM OFFICIALS ON SADC MATTERS AND PARTICULARLY ON 
MOZAMBIQUE'S ROLE AS CURRENT SADC PRESIDENT.  FONMIN 
SIMAO AND OTHER GOM OFFICIALS SHARED THEIR AMBITIOUS 
PLANS FOR RESTRUCTURING THE ORGANIZATION.  THEY WERE 
DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE OF USG ENGAGEMENT WITH SADC AND 
RESPONSIVE TO OUR CONCERNS THAT RESTRUCTURING NOT LEAD 
TO A LESS ACCESSIBLE OR LESS EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATION. 
THE MINISTER MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE SADC SUMMIT'S RECENT 
DISMISSAL OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY (REFTEL) DOES NOT 
NECESSARILY PRESAGE AN EFFORT TO PARE BACK THE ROLE OF 
THE SECRETARIAT (AS INITIALLY FEARED).  TO THE CONTRARY, 
HE SUGGESTED TO US THAT THE SECRETARIAT AND ITS NEW 
(YET-TO-BE-APPOINTED) SENIOR EXECUTIVE COULD ULTIMATELY 
BE GIVEN BROADER POWERS THAN THOSE THEY CURRENTLY HOLD. 
THE GOM IS PROCEEDING SYTEMATICALLY WITH ITS APPROACH TO 
RESTRUCTURING AND IS CONSULTING CLOSELY WITH REGIONAL 
PARTNERS AND WITH THE SADC SECRETARIAT.  THE PROCESS 
WILL LIKELY BE A LONGER, AND MORE DIFFICULT, ONE THAN 
THE GOM ANTICIPATES.  NONETHELESS, IF THE MOZAMBICAN 
PRESIDENCY CAN SEE ITS AMBITIOUS AGENDA THROUGH TO A 
CONCLUSION--AND CONVINCE OTHER MEMBER STATES TO SHARE 
ITS VISION--THE END RESULT COULD WELL PRODUCE A MORE 
FOCUSED AND EFFECTIVE INSTITUTION.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C)  AMBASSADOR ROBERT KRUEGER, US AMBASSADOR TO 
BOTSWANA AND THE SECRETARY'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO 
THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC), 
ACCOMPANIED BY EMBASSY GABORONE DCM SCOTT DELISI, 
TRAVELED TO MOZAMBIQUE OCTOBER 11-13.  THERE THEY JOINED 
AMBASSADOR DEAN CURRAN, EMBASSY MAPUTO DCM ROBERT LOFTIS 
AND POLOFF FERGUSON-AUGUSTUS, FOR A SERIES OF MEETINGS 
WITH SENIOR GOM OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS A RANGE OF SADC- 
RELATED ISSUES.  EMBASSY MAPUTO WILL REPORT SEPARATELY 
ON MOZAMBIQUE'S VIEWS ON THE TRADE PROTOCOL AND ON 
FONMIN SIMAO'S COMMENTS ON THE CONFLICT IN THE DROC AND 
MOZAMBIQUE'S ROLE--AS NEW PRESIDENT OF SADC--IN TRYING 
TO RESOLVE THAT CONFLICT.  IN MEETINGS WITH SIMAO, 
HOWEVER, AND WITH MFA DIRECTOR FOR MULTILATERAL ECONOMIC 
COOPERATION AND SADC NATIONAL POINT OF CONTACT BELMIRO 
MALATE, WE OBTAINED A CLEARER PICTURE OF MOZAMBIQUE'S 
VISION FOR A RESTRUCTURED SADC AND OF THE PROCESS 
THROUGH WHICH THIS MIGHT BE ACHIEVED. 
 
3.  (C)  AS A STARTING POINT, BOTH SIMAO AND MALATE 
MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE RESTRUCTURING WOULD TAKE A BROAD- 
BASED LOOK AT SADC, AND WOULD BEGIN WITH A RESTRUCTURING 
OF THE INSTITUTION'S AGENDA ITSELF.  MALATE NOTED THAT 
TO THIS POINT SADC HAS FOCUSED ON A RANGE OF DIFFERENT 
SECTORAL ACTIVITIES (E.G. ENVIRONMENT, AGRICULTURE, 
TOURISM, ETC.) WHICH HAD NEITHER VISIBLE 
INTERCONNECTIVITY NOR ANY MUTUALLY SUPPORTIVE GOALS. 
SADC MEMBER STATES, HE ARGUED, MUST FIRST AGREE UPON AN 
IDENTIFIED SET OF PRIORITY GOALS AND THEN REASSESS 
ACTIVITIES IN EACH SECTOR TO ENSURE THAT SECTORAL 
PROGRAMS SUPPORTED AND ADVANCED THE BROADER 
INSTITUTIONAL GOALS. 
 
4.  (C)  THE FOREIGN MINISTER SAID THAT THE GOM WAS 
PREPARING A PAPER FOR DISCUSSION BY MEMBER STATES WHICH 
COULD LEAD TO DEFINITION OF SADC'S NEW AGENDA AND GOALS. 
THE SECRETARIAT IN GABORONE REPORTS AS WELL THAT IT HAS 
BEEN IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH THE GOM, PROVIDING VARIOUS 
POSITION PAPERS ON SADC STRUCTURAL ISSUES.  ALTHOUGH THE 
SECRETARIAT REMAINS CAUTIOUS GIVEN THAT ITS PREVIOUS 
RECOMMENDATIONS ON RESTRUCTURING WERE REJECTED BY THE 
SADC SUMMIT IN MAURITIUS IN SEPTEMBER 1998 IT HAS 
APPARENTLY OFFERED THE PRESIDENCY SOME OF THE SAME 
PROPOSALS FOR A MORE TIGHTLY STRUCTURED ORGANIZATION. 
ACCORDING TO FOREIGN MINISTER SIMAO, THE DISTRIBUTION OF 
THE PAPER WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A "SEMINAR" AT WHICH 
MEMBER STATES WILL JOIN WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF REGIONAL 
THINK TANKS, DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS, AND OTHERS TO DISCUSS 
THE ALTERNATIVES FOR THE RESTRUCTURED SADC. 
 
5.  (C)  BOTH SIMAO AND MALATE WERE RESPONSIVE TO OUR 
CONCERNS THAT IN THE PROCESS OF RESTRUCTURING SADC NOT 
LOSE ITS INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY.  THERE MUST, WE 
COMMENTED, BE AN INSTITUTIONAL ENTITY CAPABLE OF 
REPRESENTING SADC EFFECTIVELY IN ITS INTERACTIONS WITH 
DONORS, INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND 
OTHERS.  MOREOVER, WE URGED THAT RESTRUCTURING ALSO TAKE 
INTO ACCOUNT THE NEED FOR CLEARLY DEFINED ROLES FOR THE 
SECRETARIAT, THE PRESIDENCY, SECTORAL COORDINATING UNITS 
AND MEMBER STATES AND ESTABLISHED LINES OF AUTHORITY 
BETWEEN THEM.  SIMAO AGREED, NOTING THAT THE CHALLENGE 
HAS BEEN IN PART THAT THE MEMBER STATES HAVE NO PREVIOUS 
EXPERIENCE OF THIS SORT OF PARTNERSHIP WITH EACH OTHER 
OR WITH OUTSIDERS.  AT PRESENT, HE URGED US TO CONTINUE 
OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH SADC ACROSS AS BROAD A FRONT AS 
POSSIBLE--WITH THE SECRETARIAT, WITH HIM AS CHAIRMAN OF 
THE COUNCIL OF THE MINISTERS, AND WITH SECTORAL 
COORDINATORS.  HE ADVISED THAT WE "KEEP LOOSE" AND NOT 
FIX RIGID APPROACHES TO SADC AT PRESENT BUT PROMISED 
THAT A DEFINED STRUCTURE WAS COMING. 
 
6.  (C)  IN REASSESSING SADC'S STRUCTURE ALONG WITH ITS 
AGENDA SIMAO AND MALATE BOTH HINTED THAT THEY ENVISIONED 
A STRONGER SECRETARIAT, POSSIBLY CREATING A SECRETARY 
GENERAL POSITION TO REPLACE THE RECENTLY DISMISSED 
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY.  SIMAO NOTED THAT ORIGINALLY SADC 
MEMBER STATES HAD WANTED TO AVOID CREATION OF A LARGE 
SECRETARIAT WITH A POTENTIALLY COSTLY BUREAUCRACY THAT 
WOULD DRAIN FUNDS AWAY FROM DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES. 
EQUALLY, HE ACKNOWLEDGED, MEMBER STATES FEARED AN OVERLY 
STRONG SECRETARIAT WOULD REDUCE THE ROLE FOR MEMBER 
STATES.  NOW, HOWEVER, HE SAID SADC MUST RE-EXAMINE THE 
QUESTION OF THE LEVEL OF EMPOWERMENT OF THE SECRETARIAT. 
MALATE HAD ALSO OBSERVED EARLIER IN THE DAY THAT IN THE 
PROCESS SADC MUST ALSO MORE CLEARLY ADDRESS THE 
INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE SECRETARIAT AND THE 
PRESIDENCY.  HE FELT THAT CLOSER TIES WERE NEEDED AND 
NOTED THAT UNDER THE GOM THE PRESIDENCY WAS ALREADY MORE 
CLOSELY ENGAGED WITH THE SECRETARIAT. 
 
7.  (C)  A SIMILAR PROCESS OF REDEFINITION WILL CONTINUE 
WITH THE ORGAN FOR POLITICS, DEFENSE AND SECURITY, THE 
CHAIRMANSHIP OF WHICH IS CURRENTLY HELD BY ZIMBABWE. 
AS HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED BY EMBASSY MBABANE, 
MALATE NOTED THAT THE MEETING OF THE INTERSTATE DEFENSE 
AND SECURITY COMMITTEE IN MBABANE AT THE END OF THE 
MONTH WOULD HOPEFULLY LEAD TO A MORE PRECISELY DEFINED 
ROLE FOR THE ORGAN AND GREATER CLARITY CONCERNING ITS 
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PRESIDENCY.  MALATE NOTED THAT THE 
MEETING WOULD LIKELY BE BROADER THAN THE NORMAL ISDSC 
GATHERINGS AND WOULD INCLUDE NOT ONLY MILITARY CHIEFS 
AND DEFENSE MINISTERS BUT REPRESENTATIVES FROM FOREIGN 
AFFAIRS, INTERIOR, OR OTHER NATIONAL MINISTRIES DEALING 
WITH POLITICAL, DEFENSE OR SECURITY ISSUES.  HE HOPED 
THAT THE DISCUSSIONS MIGHT LEAD TO A RESTRUCTURING OF 
THE AGENDA FOR THE ORGAN SIMILAR TO THAT PLANNED FOR 
SADC AS A WHOLE.  HE NOTED THAT A SOUTH AFRICAN NGO, 
ACCORD, HAD BEEN SELECTED TO CONDUCT A SEMINAR TO LOOK 
MORE CLOSELY AT THE APPROPRIATE ROLE FOR THE ORGAN. 
 
8.  (C)  SIMAO ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE RESTRUCTURING 
PROCESS WOULD BE TIME CONSUMING AND MIGHT NOT BE FULLY 
COMPLETED PRIOR TO THE END OF MOZAMBIQUE'S ONE YEAR IN 
THE PRESIDENCY (OF WHICH 10 MONTHS REMAIN).  ALMOST 
CERTAINLY, THE PROCESS WILL NOT BE COMPLETED WITHIN THE 
6-MONTH TIMEFRAME MANDATED BY THE MAPUTO SUMMIT IN 
AUGUST.  SIMAO HOPED, HOWEVER, THAT IT WOULD BE 
SUFFICIENTLY WELL LAUNCHED THAT MOZAMBIQUE'S SUCCESSOR 
IN THE PRESIDENCY, NAMIBIA, WOULD BRING IT TO A 
SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION IF NECESSARY.  HE INFORMED US, 
HOWEVER, THAT IN THE INTERIM, HE DID NOT ANTICIPATE 
PROCEEDING WITH EFFORTS TO SELECT A NEW SENIOR EXECUTIVE 
FOR SADC.  HE THOUGHT THAT THE ACTING EXECUTIVE 
SECRETARY, DR. PREGA RAMSAMY, WOULD LIKELY BE LEFT IN 
THAT ROLE UNTIL SUCH TIME AS BOTH SADC'S AGENDA AND THE 
ROLE OF THE SECRETARIAT AND ITS LEADERSHIP HAD BEEN 
FULLY REVIEWED. 
 
9.  (C)  COMMENT:  THE APPROACH PROPOSED BY SIMAO AND 
MALATE REFLECTS THE CAREFUL CONSIDERATION AND 
SERIOUSNESS OF PURPOSE WITH WHICH THEY TAKE MOZAMBIQUE'S 
ROLE AS SADC'S PRESIDENT.  HOWEVER, WHILE OTHER MEMBER 
STATES AGREE THAT STRUCTURAL REFORM OF SADC IS 
NECESSARY, WHETHER THEY WILL ALSO ULTIMATELY SHARE 
MOZAMBIQUE'S VISION OF WHAT FORM THAT REFORM SHOULD TAKE 
REMAINS TO BE SEEN.  MEANWHILE, THE PROCESS OUTLINED BY 
SIMAO WILL LIKELY BE TIME CONSUMING, POTENTIALLY COSTLY, 
AND MORE EASILY CONCEPTUALIZED THAN IMPLEMENTED. 
MOZAMBIQUE, AS SADC PRESIDENT, MUST ALSO BE ABLE TO 
MARSHALL THE RESOURCES TO OVERCOME THE BUREAUCRATIC 
HURDLES AND LOGISTICAL LOGJAMS THAT WILL ACCOMPANY THIS 
EFFORT TO ENSURE A BROAD POLICY DIALOGUE.  WE WILL WANT 
TO SUPPORT THE PROCESS AS BEST WE CAN IN HOPES THAT SADC 
WILL EMERGE A MORE FOCUSED AND MORE EFFECTIVE 
INSTITUTION.  THE REAL WORK, HOWEVER, WILL REST WITH THE 
SADC MEMBER STATES.  WE HOPE THEY ARE UP TO THE TASK. 
 
KRUEGER