US embassy cable - 03MAPUTO558

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000558 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
STATE FOR AF/S, INL/AAE 
DOJ FOR OPDAT AND ICITAP 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, PREL, ASEC, PHSA, KPAO, MZ, KNAR, SANR 
SUBJECT: INTERIOR MINISTER ENGAGED ON COUNTER-TERRORISM 
 
REF: A. MAPUTO MZ 060803Z APR 04 
 
B. MAPUTO MZ 171555Z DEC 03 
 
1. (U) Summary: In an April 19 meeting with the Ambassador, 
Interior Minister Almerino Manhenje described his plans to 
travel to Texas for a counter-terrorism conference the week 
of May 3. In addition, Manhenje described his goals of 
reducing vulnerability to terrorism, drug trafficking, 
trafficking in persons, and other contraband, as well as 
money laundering and terrorist financing. He demonstrated an 
awareness of the problems faced by the GRM in these areas and 
described the government's interest in USG and other donor 
assistance in increasing border and port security. The 
Ambassador thanked the Minister for the cooperation of his 
staff in coordinating our INL assistance to the Mozambican 
Police Academy and recent assessment visits by DOJ ICITAP 
officials to plan further assistance. End Summary. 
 
2. (U) On April 19, the Ambassador called on Interior 
Minister Manhenje, accompanied by RSO and Econ/Poloff 
(notetaker); the minister was accompanied by his 
International Relations Assistant Joachim Bule. Manhenje 
opened the meeting by describing his invitation from Sam 
Houston State University to be one of 28 participants in a 
counter terrorism conference in early May. He will be 
accompanied by the Vice Rector of the Mozambican Police 
Academy (ACIPOL), who met the Sam Houston faculty member at 
ILEA training in Roswell, NM in February 2003. Public 
Diplomacy funds brought the professor to Maputo in September 
2003 for speakers program events and the invitation to the 
conference results from this new institutional linkage. 
 
3. (SBU) In the remainder of the meeting, Manhenje provided 
his assessment of the challenges faced by his ministry in the 
areas of counter-terrorism and border security. He 
acknowledged the weaknesses of his Criminal Investigation 
Police (PIC) and mentioned the current efforts to implement 
judicial reform, which would create a Judicial Police on the 
Portuguese model. He envisions such a new entity would 
complement the PIC with more highly trained, professional 
investigators. (Note: the PIC is widely viewed as highly 
corrupt and ineffective. End Note.) Manhenje referred to 
Mozambique's activities as the current chair of SARPCCO, the 
Southern Africa Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation 
Organization. He recognized the problems faced by the GRM in 
trying to combat transborder crime and the growing role of 
Mozambique as a transit country for narcotics, especially 
cocaine originating in Brazil destined for South Africa. 
 
4. (SBU) The minister also referred to a request made by 
Mozambican Customs to the USG for equipment to give 
Mozambique the capacity to examine containers at the major 
ports (Maputo, Beira, and Nacala) and the principal border 
crossings with South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia. 
Mozambique has no capacity to patrol its maritime border, 
with an unprotected coastline twice the length of California 
(ref A). He is eager for the border police to receive any 
training that is available from USG agencies and also would 
welcome any assistance to improve GRM capacity to track money 
laundering. He noted the demographic factor of the large 
number of Muslim businesses in the northern provinces 
involved in importing goods for sale in Mozambique and the 
difficulty his ministry faces in knowing the real names of 
account holders and merchants bringing goods through customs 
(ref B). He also confirmed reports of large numbers of 
undocumented Pakistani aliens and the more recent trend of 
Somali refugees entering or transiting Mozambique. 
 
5. (SBU) Comment: Minister Manhenje is clearly aware of the 
challenges the GRM faces and highly interested in further USG 
assistance. He comes across as well-informed, charming and 
an intelligent politician, and has proven capable of 
withstanding criticism in his tenure at Interior. He is one 
of the younger generation of cabinet heavyweights, and 
appears to be adept at internal party power maneuvering. His 
cooperative attitude with the USG seems sincere and his staff 
has developed good working relations with post and with other 
international donors. 
LA LIME