US embassy cable - 05PRETORIA796

UNCLAS PRETORIA 000796 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
 
DEPT FOR AF/S KGAITHER; AF/EPS; EB/TPP/BTA 
USDOC FOR 4510/ITA/IEP/ANESA/OA/JDIEMOND 
COMMERCE ALSO FOR HVINEYARD 
TREASURY FOR BRESNICK 
DEPT PASS USTR FOR FLISER, CMOORE AND PCOLEMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD, SF, USTR 
SUBJECT: SACU MEETING ON FTA DEPUTIES GROUP INVITATION 
 
REF:  2004 WINDHOEK 905 
 
(U) This cable is sensitive but unclassified.  Not for 
Internet distribution. 
 
1.  (SBU) Econoff spoke today with Victor Mashabela, head of 
the Americas desk in the Department of Trade and Industry 
(DTI), about the SACU meeting in Namibia that took place 
February 24-25.  Mashabela, who attended with SACU FTA Chief 
Negotiator Xavier Carim, said most of the meeting of the 
senior officials addressed institutional issues and that the 
meeting went well.  They also addressed the February 8 
invitation from AUSTR Florie Liser to the Heads of 
Delegation (HODS) to have a Deputies Group meeting in Geneva 
on March 18.  Mashabela said SACU was drafting a response 
that he thought would be cleared and sent by early next 
week.  Pressed, he expected it would probably be a positive 
response agreeing to March 18, but he did not know who would 
attend from SACU.  He noted the positive results of the 
December 10 meeting in Walvis Bay between Ambassador 
Zoellick and SACU ministers on finding a way forward on the 
FTA (reftel).  At the same time, presumably drawing on 
discussions by the senior officials at last week's meeting, 
he offered his personal view that both sides remain far 
apart on some difficult issues. 
 
FRAZER