US embassy cable - 01ABUJA2480

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 002480 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
WHITE HOUSE PASS TO USTR 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, ETRD, OVIP, NI, WTO 
SUBJECT: U.S. MOVE TOWARD AFRICAN WTO POSITIONS APPLAUDED 
AT OAU TRADE MINISTERIAL 
 
 
REF: A) STATE 160506 B) STATE 161354 
 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified, Please Handle Accordingly. 
 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Fourth Organization of African 
Unity/African Economic Community Conference of Trade 
Ministers September 22-23 in Abuja, Nigeria ended with 
widespread appreciation for U.S. movement toward African WTO 
positions on agriculture, intellectual property, the 
environment, labor issues, and special and differential 
treatment (as outlined in reftel A).  While the conference 
could not issue a final report (as much for logistical 
reasons as substantive ones), all countries -- even those 
which have traditionally opposed the U.S. at the WTO -- 
recognized how far the U.S. has come and that there now 
exists a firm basis to bridge the remaining differences and 
launch a new round.  On the bilateral U.S.-Nigeria front, 
AUSTR Whitaker met with National Assembly members on the WTO, 
received support from the Vice President and Minister of 
Commerce for a new WTO round, and got new promises that 
bureaucratic problems that have to date prevented an 
AGOA-compatible visa system for apparel exports would soon be 
resolved.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
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At the OAU Ministerial Conference 
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2. (U) Working through OAU Economic Office Director Fred 
Alipui, Post assisted Ms. Whitaker in scheduling her remarks 
during the trade ministerial opening plenary session 
(immediately prior to those by Nigerian President Olusegun 
Obasanjo) and in distributing extensive USG WTO talking 
points in English and French to all delegations. 
3. (U) Mike Moore, Director General of the World Trade 
Organization, gave a ten-minute presentation in which he 
challenged the African nations to become more involved in the 
global trading system and promised that, under his 
administration, Africa would be a primary focus of WTO 
activities.  Likewise, AUSTR Whitaker,s remarks encouraged 
African nations, as a substantial voting block, to take a 
leadership role in setting the WTO agenda.  She also outlined 
U.S. movement toward African positions on WTO issues. 
Whitaker reviewed tangible results of the first year since 
passage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act.  Contacts 
at the OAU and several delegates favorably contrasted the 
prominent placement of AUSTR Whitaker,s remarks in the 
opening ceremony and the extensive dissemination of the U.S. 
position papers with the rather pro forma participation by 
the European Union.  The EU was represented by their 
Abuja-resident Ambassador who read two pages of talking 
points during a lightly-attended afternoon session. 
 
 
4. (U) At the margins of the two-day ministerial, Ms. 
Whitaker and Mr. Moore held consultations with Trade 
Ministers and their delegations from Uganda, Kenya, 
Mozambique, Ethiopia, Senegal, Gabon, Benin, Botswana, 
Angola, Guinea Conakry, and South Africa. 
 
 
5. (SBU) The Ugandan Trade Minister told AUSTR Whitaker that 
President Musaveni is recalling his Ambassador from Geneva 
and replacing him with one who will reflect shared African 
and U.S. objectives in the WTO.   Nigerian Trade Minister 
Mustapha Bello, Economic Community of West African States 
(ECOWAS) Executive Secretary Lansana Kouyate, and Assistant 
Secretary General of the OAU Ambassador Lawrence O.C. Agubuzu 
 
SIPDIS 
all commented on the growing support within the OAU and 
ECOWAS for a new round, and voiced appreciation to Whitaker 
for the changes in the USG position. 
 
 
6. (SBU) Nigerian logistical support, notably translation and 
interpretation services, was poor and impacted the progress 
of events.  The early departure of Trade Ministers who would 
not delegate authority to subordinates and a few hardline 
hold outs on the issue of  "consensus" for a new round, meant 
that the final report was tabled until a special OAU Trade 
Ministers, caucus to be held before Doha. 
 
 
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Business Outside the Ministerial Conference 
------------------------------------------- 
 
 
7. (SBU) First in a meeting with National Assembly Speaker 
Ghali Na,abba and later in a lunch with the Chairs of the 
House and Senate Commerce Committees, Whitaker encouraged the 
Nigerian National Assembly to play a more proactive role in 
setting the nation's trade policy agenda within both the WTO 
and on AGOA.  Whitaker showed the Chairmen  Nigerian press 
reports that members of the National Assembly were advocating 
Nigeria's withdrawal from the WTO.  The legislators seemed 
surprised by the tone of the press reports, claiming that 
they had not, in fact, advocated such a position.  The 
Chairman did, however, express concern over Nigeria's 
obligations in the WTO.  Whitaker replied that African 
nations, as a significant voting block within the WTO, stood 
to gain from a new round at which Africans could voice their 
concerns and play a leadership role in setting the agenda. 
 
 
8. (SBU) In a separate meeting, ECOWAS Executive Secretary 
Kouyate said that all, even the most recalcitrant ECOWAS 
states, now see globalization as inevitable.  Kouyate had 
just returned from Botswana where he obtained USD 2 million 
for training of ECOWAS member state officials in trade 
issues, and was applying for further support from other 
organizations including the regional USAID office in Bamako. 
Though Kouyate only has three months left in his tenure, he 
expected to leave ECOWAS with his program well established. 
Each of the fifteen member states will specialize in some 
area of trade in goods and services, and will be able to 
represent the sub-region in a professional manner that was 
not possible before. 
 
 
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Vice President and Commerce Minister Address WTO and AGOA 
 
 
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9. (SBU) AUSTR Whitaker, Moore and Poloff made a series of 
calls on high-level Nigerian officials, including Vice 
President Atiku Abubakar and Minister of Commerce Mustapha 
Bello.  Abubakar received with grace AUSTR Whitaker,s thank 
you for Nigerian leadership in calling for a new WTO round, 
but seemed more interested in AGOA issues.  He agreed to 
intervene as necessary in resolving problems with Nigerian 
Customs in ensuring inspections by U.S. customs officers to 
prevent transshipment as part of the apparel visa program. 
He also asked if the U.S. could involve more states in the 
gum arabic program.  (President Obasanjo had also asked to 
ensure that Yobe State would be made a full participant.) 
Whitaker explained that the U.S. private sector, working with 
USAID, had chosen Jigawa State as a pilot project where U.S. 
contractors would work with the State government on 
establishing a quality-control laboratory that would meet 
U.S. import requirements.  She emphasized that the laboratory 
would be able to evaluate gum arabic originating anywhere in 
Nigeria, cautioning against other states setting up 
laboratories that might not meet U.S. standards.  Whitaker 
predicted that efforts to diversify gum arabic supplies away 
from Sudan would increase, and that U.S. demand would be high 
enough to support gum arabic growers in many Nigerian States. 
 
 
10. (SBU) Minister of Commerce Mustapha Bello, host of the 
OAU Ministerial, was pleased to hear that an earlier proposal 
to sell Nigerian yarn to South Africa for apparel production 
would be allowed under AGOA, and would require only a 
certificate of origin.  Bello also brought up demands from 
Nigerian States, particularly Yobe, for greater participation 
in the gum arabic project.  Bello believed that the majority 
of African states were behind a new round, but that the few 
hardliners might preclude the consensus normally required for 
the OAU to take a position.  Both in the private meeting and 
in the press opportunity that followed, Bello complimented 
USTR Zoellick for his leadership in moving U.S. WTO positions 
and expressed an interest in meeting the new USTR. 
 
 
11.  (U) Press coverage of the visit was extensive and 
included the speech at the plenary session, calls on the 
Speaker of the House and Minister of Commerce and the 
departure press conference attended by 22 journalists at the 
Lagos international airport on May 25.  Coverage will be 
reported septel as a part of PAS regular placement reports. 
 
 
12.  (U) AUSTR Whitaker did not have an opportunity to clear 
this message before departing Nigeria. 
Andrews