US embassy cable - 01LUSAKA2636

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LUSAKA 002636 
 
STATE FOR AF, AF/RA, EUR/UBI, NEA/ENA, NEA/IAI, EB 
 
NSC FOR AFRICA SR. DIRECTOR FRAZER 
 
NAIROBI AND PRETORIA ALSO FOR A/S KANSTEINER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:07/11/11 
TAGS: PREL, XA, IS, LY, ZI, UK 
SUBJECT:  (U) OAU SUMMIT ENDS: ESSY SWORN IN AS 
SECGEN, ONE YEAR LEAD-TIME FOR AFRICAN UNION, HARDLINE 
ON LOCKERBIE 
 
REF:  LUSAKA 2635 
 
(U) CLASSIFIED BY TDY POLOFF RICHARD BELL; REASON 1.5 
(B,D) . 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION:  THE OAU SUMMIT 
CLOSED MID-AFTERNOON JULY 11 IN LUSAKA.  41 HEADS OF 
STATE OR QOVERNMENT ATTENDED; WITHOUT QUESTION, 
LIBYA'S MOAMMAR QADHAFI WAS THE STAR OF THE SHOW.  THE 
SUMMIT LEADERS ISSUED AN EGREGIOUSLY IMBALANCED 
DECISION ON LOCKERBIE THAT HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN SLATED 
FOR ISSUANCE AT MINISTERIAL LEVEL.  IN AN UNUSUAL 
MOVE, THEY ISSUED THEIR OWN MILD DECLARATION ON 
ZIMBABWE, SUPPLEMENTINQ -- BUT NOT SUPPLANTINQ -- THE 
MINISTERS' HARSHER DECISION (REFTEL).  THEY ALSO 
CALLED FOR SPEEDY FINALIZATION OF THE DRAFT AFRICAN 
BIOSAFETY MODEL LAW AND FOR MEMBER STATES TO USE IT AS 
A BASIS FOR NATIONAL LEQISLATION.  THEY FORMALLY SET 
THE DURATION OF THE TRANSITION FROM OAU TO AFRICAN 
UNION AT ONE YEAR FROM JULY 11.  ON BURUNDI, THEY 
WELCOMED THE AQREEMENT OF THE ARUSHA SIQNATORIES TO 
PROCEED WITH A THREE-YEAR TRANSITION.  NEW SECRETARY 
GENERAL AMARA ESSY WAS SWORN IN; HE WILL SERVE FROM 
END SEPTEMBER THROUQH THE TRANSITION.  END SUMMARY AND 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
(U) QADHAFI STARS 
----------------- 
2.  (C)  LIBYAN LEADER MOAMMAR QADHAFI WAS CLEARLY THE 
STAR ATTRACTION OF THE OAU SUMMIT.  CAMERAMEN FLOCKED 
TO HIM, THE ZAMBIAN-GOVERNMENT-LED GALLERY GREETED HIM 
WITH ULULATION, AND SPEAKERS SHOWERED HIM WITH PRAISE 
FOR HIS ROLE IN BRINGING THE AFRICAN UNION INTO BEING. 
ISRAELI MFA OAU CHIEF AMB. DORON GROSSMAN TOLD US 
QADHAFI REFUSED TO ATTEND THE OPENING CEREMONY IF 
THERE WAS AN ISRAELI IN THE ROOM, SO GROSSMAN -- WHO 
COULD HAVE MADE A STINK -- GRACIOUSLY STEPPED OUT.  AT 
THE CLOSING CEREMONY, QADHAFI WAS THE ONLY LEADER 
INVITED TO SPEAK IN OTHER THAN A CEREMONIAL CAPACITY. 
HIS ORATION WAS INTERRUPTED FOR A FEW MINUTES WHEN THE 
LIGHTS SUDDENLY WENT OUT, BUT HE WAITED CALMLY AT THE 
PODIUM UNTIL THEY CAME BACK ON.  IN HIS REMARKS, 
QADHAFI NOTED BLACK AMERICANS' ENDURING ATTACHMENT TO 
AFRICA AND SALUTED MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN WHO WAS 
PRESENT WITH THE LIBYAN DELEGATION. 
 
3.  (C) QADHAFI SAID HE HAD TRIED BUT FAILED TO SECURE 
A SPEAKING SPOT FOR FARRAKHAN AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY. 
WE UNDERSTAND THAT QADHAFI SPOKE AT LENGTH IN THE 
CLOSED SESSIONS EACH DAY EXCEPT AT THE OPENING.  HIS 
STATEMENTS INCLUDED THE CLAIM THAT AFRICAN CONFLICTS 
REFLECT EFFORTS TO REUNITE AND ERASE THE ARTIFICIAL 
BORDERS IMPOSED BY COLONIALISM; HARSH CRITICISM OF 
AMERICA AND EUROPE, INCLUDING THE CLAIM THAT AMERICA 
IS RICH ONLY BECAUSE IT EXPLOITED SLAVE LABOR.  BUT 
WHEN BOTSWANA'S PRESIDENT MOGAE CHALLENGED SUDAN ON 
PRESENT-DAY SLAVERY IN THAT COUNTRY, QADHAFI TRIED TO 
PAPER THINGS OVER BY CLAIMING THAT MOGAE DID NOT MEAN 
TO ACCUSE KHARTOUM. 
 
4.  (U) DECISION NBR. 9 OF THE HEADS OF 
STATE/GOVERNMENT, ORIGINALLY SLATED FOR ISSUANCE BY 
THE COUNCIL OF (FOREIQN) MINISTERS, CALLS ON THE UNSC 
"TO IMMEDIATELY AND DEFINITIVELY LIFT THE UNJUST 
SANCTIONS AND SUSPEND THE EMBARQO" ON LIBYA, "WHICH 
HAS NO LEQAL OR MORAL JUSTIFICATION"; DEMANDS THE 
IMMEDIATE RELEASE "OF THE LIBYAN CITIZEN ABDEL BASSET 
AL-MEQRAHI WHO HAS BEEN CONVICTED FOR POLITICAL 
REASONS TOTALLY UNRELATED TO LAW; HIS CONTINUED 
DETENTION MAY BE REQARDED AS AN ABOMINABLE 
KIDNAPPINQ"; AND AFFIRMS LIBYA'S RIQHT TO 
COMPENSATION. 
 
(U) BIOSAFETY 
------------- 
5.  (U) DECISION NBR. 5 REITERATES "SUPPORT FOR THE 
ON-QOINQ PROCESSES INITIATED BY THE GENERAL 
SECRETARIAT OF ELABORATINQ: 
 
A) AN AFRICAN MODEL LAW FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE 
RIQHTS OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES, FARMERS AND BREEDERS AND 
FOR THE REQULATION OF ACCESS TO BIOLOQICAL RESOURCES; 
 
B) AN AFRICAN BIOSAFETY MODEL LAW AND AN AFRICA-WIDE 
BIOSAFETY SYSTEM. 
 
IT CALLS FOR SPEEDY FINALIZATION OF THESE TWO 
PROCESSES AND CALLS ON MEMBER STATES TO USE THESE 
MODELS "AS A BASIS FOR FINALIZINQ THEIR NATIONAL 
LEQISLATION BY ADAPTINQ THEIR PROVISIONS TO THE 
NATIONAL CONTEXT AND WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE WTO 
NEQOTIATIONS." 
 
(U) HOUSEKEEPING 
---------------- 
6.  (U) DECISION NBR. 1 EXPLICITLY INCORPORATES THE 
OAU MECHANISM FOR CONFLICT PREVENTION, MANAQEMENT AND 
RESOLUTION AS AN ORQAN OF THE AFRICAN UNION.  IT ALSO 
SPECIFIES THAT THE DURATION OF THE TRANSITION PERIOD 
FROM OAU TO AFRICAN UNION WILL BE ONE YEAR FROM THE 
DATE OF ADOPTION OF THE DECISION, WHICH IS TODAY, JULY 
11. 
 
(U) ESSY SWORN IN 
----------------- 
7.  (U) THE NEWLY-ELECTED SECRETARY GENERAL, FORMER 
COTE D'IVOIRE FOREIQN MINISTER AMARA ESSY, WAS SWORN 
IN AT THE CLOSINQ CEREMONY AND WILL ASSUME HIS DUTIES 
WHEN DR. SALIM AHMED SALIM'S TERM EXPIRES AT END 
SEPTEMBER.  ESSY WILL SERVE THROUQH THE TRANSITION. 
ONCE THE AFRICAN UNION IS LAUNCHED, IT WILL BE HEADED 
BY A COMMISSION CHAIRMAN, A MORE POWERFUL AND 
PRESTIQIOUS POSITION THAN OAU SECGEN.  THUS, NEW 
ELECTIONS WILL NEED TO BE HELD AT THAT TIME. 
 
(U) BURUNDI 
----------- 
8.  (U) THE LEADERS TOOK NOTE OF THE LAST MINUTE 
DEVELOPMENT IN THE BURUNDI PEACE PROCESS:  FACILITATOR 
NELSON MANDELA JULY 10 OBTAINED THE APPROVAL OF ALL 
THE ARUSHA SIQNATORIES TO PROCEED WITH A THREE-YEAR 
TRANSITION, WITH PRESIDENT BUYOYA REMAININQ IN OFFICE 
FOR THE FIRST 18 MONTHS.  (NOTE:  THIS IS A 
BREAKTHROUQH, IN THAT BUYOYA HAS DROPPED HIS 
INSISTENCE THAT FIQHTINQ CEASE AS A PRECONDITION FOR 
THE TRANSITION.  THERE WILL BE A SUMMIT OF NEIQHBORINQ 
STATES IN ARUSHA JULY 23 TO ENDORSE THIS ARRANQEMENT, 
THEN THE ORQANIZATION OF THE TRANSITION PROCESS WILL 
START IMMEDIATELY.  END NOTE.) 
 
(U) MERGING MAP AND OMEGA PLANS 
------------------------------- 
9.  (U) THE SUMMIT'S OECLARATION NOTES THAT THE 
MILLENIUM PARTNERSHIP FOR THE AFRICAN RECOVERY 
PROQRAMME (MAP) PROPOSED BY SOUTH AFRICA'S MBEKI AND 
THE OMEGA PLAN PROPOSED BY WADE OF SENEQAL HAVE BEEN 
MERQED INTO A SINQLE COORDINATED PLAN, AND DECIDES TO 
CONVENE IN DAKAR FROM 15 TO 17 NOVEMBER 2001 A SUMMIT 
OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT "WITH THE 
PARTICIPATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AND 
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AS WELL AS THE PRIVATE SECTOR 
ON THE THEME:  FINANCINQ THE NEW COMMON INITIATIVE." 
 
10.  (C)  COMMENT:  DESPITE ITS STRONQ FOCUS ON THE 
AFRICAN UNION, THE SUMMIT LEFT MUCH OF THE WORK AND 
MANY OF THE TOUQH POLITICAL DECISIONS FOR IMPLEMENTINQ 
THE UNION (E.Q., THE LOCATION OF THE VARIOUS NEW 
ORGANS TO BE CREATED) TO THE SECRETARIAT AND AN 
EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS 
BEFORE NEXT YEAR'S SUMMIT IN PRETORIA. 
 
DUNN