US embassy cable - 04LILONGWE678

UNCLAS LILONGWE 000678 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR OES/PCI 
GABORONE FOR REO (TPIERCE) 
DEPT OF INTERIOR FOR USBR/INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (MHOOD) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, ENRG, EAID, ECON, MI, Economic, Energy 
SUBJECT: GOM SIGNS ZAMBEZI WATER COMMISSION TO STEM WATER 
WEED PROBLEM 
 
REF: A. LILONGWE 585 
 
     B. LILONGWE 45 
     C. 03 LILONGWE 935 
 
1. (U) Upon his return from the July 15 Zambezi Water 
Commission (ZAMCOM) signing ceremony, Minister of Mining, 
Natural Resources, and Environment Davis Katsonga said the 
GOM hoped the Commission would help solve the Shire River's 
continuing difficulties with water weeds, which are a root 
cause of the current electricity supply problems.  "When the 
agreement is ratified," Katsonga said, "hopefully in the next 
session of Parliament, Malawi will ask Tanzania to look at 
how the weeds problem can be dealt with from their side." 
ZAMCOM, which aims to promote, support, coordinate, and 
harmonize the management and development of water resources 
in the Zambezi watershed, allows signatories "to accuse or 
call for remedial measures" if there is mismanagement in 
upstream countries, according to the Minister. 
 
COMMENT 
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2. (SBU) ZAMCOM is the first agreement on water resource 
management that Tanzania, Mozambique, and Malawi, the three 
countries that border Lake Malawi/Niassa/Nyasa, have all 
signed.  Although the Commission does not apply specifically 
to the Lake, it should provide an underlying framework for 
engagement on water issues. 
 
3. (SBU) The decision to join ZAMCOM also marks a change in 
the GOM's foreign policy regarding the Lake.  Due to concerns 
over territorial and usage rights on the Lake (reftel C), the 
GOM had previously avoided bi-lateral and multi-lateral 
agreements that supported Tanzania's claims to actually own 
(rather than to have usage rights of) parts of the Northern 
end of the Lake.  It appears that although the GOM may not 
publicly announce a policy change, the pressing need to 
coordinate on Lake management issues has forced the GOM to 
relax its position. 
RASPOLIC