US embassy cable - 05GABORONE1019

C O N F I D E N T I A L  GABORONE 001019 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
AF/S FOR MUNCY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, BC, UNGA, Vice President Khama 
SUBJECT: POSSIBLE FOREIGN POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF A KHAMA 
PRESIDENCY: A CONVERSATION AT THE MFA 
 
REF: GABORONE 56 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Joseph Huggins for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) 
 
1. (C)  SUMMARY:  According to Acting Director for 
Multilateral Affairs Mr. Pulaente Kenosi at the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the GOB 
could be on the cusp of re-evaluating some of the tenets of 
its foreign policy.  This is prompted in part by world 
events but also by Vice President Khama's growing interest 
in international affairs.  Although the Vice President's 
views are still emerging, there are some indications that 
they could move Botswana more in line with US policies, 
particularly regarding the UN.  If this perception is 
wide-spread within the MFA, an opportunity might exist, 
which the Mission would exploit, to engage the GOB as it 
rethinks some of its foreign policies.  END SUMMARY. 
 
VICE PRESIDENT KHAMA'S GROWING INTEREST IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
 
2. (C)  During a July 14 office call, Mr. Kenosi told 
PolOff that the way the Ministry handles multilateral 
issues was beginning to change, due in part to a growing 
interest by the Vice President in this subject.  Kenosi 
indicated that, in contrast to previous years, the Vice 
President had recently demonstrated an interest in foreign 
affairs and had begun voicing strong opinions in that 
regard.  He described Khama's view of the AU, for example, 
as rather dim - a talk shop that wasted time and money. 
The Vice President would rather allocate resources to 
activities which could deliver meaningful results, he 
said.  Rather than reveal an isolationist tendency, Kenosi 
suggested that this remark indicated that Khama's 
reputation for demanding efficiency and effectiveness in 
Government administration would color his foreign policy 
views as well. 
 
3. (C)  Whereas Botswana's missions to New York and Geneva 
historically took the lead in shaping the GOB's positions 
on UN issues, Kenosi said that the initiative was shifting 
to the capital.  He surmised that this resulted in part 
from the sensitive debates currently unfolding regarding UN 
reform.  However, he also suggested that part of the 
impetus for change came from the Office of the President 
and the Vice President's desire to better coordinate 
foreign policy statements and actions. 
 
IMAGINING THE IMPOSSIBLE: BREAKING FROM NAM TRADITIONS? 
 
4. (C)  Kenosi suggested that one tenet of Botswana's UN 
diplomacy inherited from the Non-Aligned Movement, the 
refusal to support single-country resolutions, could be 
re-evaluated.  In light of the evident human rights abuses 
in Darfur, he elaborated, a "no action" vote by the UN 
Human Rights Commission undermined the credibility of that 
body and any democratic country that voted in favor of it. 
He argued that the NAM positions were now obsolete.  As a 
result of this nascent re-evaluation process, Kenosi said, 
the Multilateral Division will be preparing a number of 
position papers ahead of the September UN High Level Event 
and General Assembly to (re)frame the issues for the 
decision makers.  In the past, the MFA did not do this 
because of its static approach multilateral issues. 
 
WEIGHING ZIMBABWE AND WORLD OPINION 
 
5. (C)  Botswana looks forward with reluctance to its 
coming tenure as a member of the United Nations Human 
Rights Commission due to the dilemma it faces over how to 
respond to human rights violations in Zimbabwe.  He 
recognized that abuses had taken place and that support for 
a "no action" motion on Zimbabwe would betray Botswana's 
claims to respect human rights and damage its ties to 
countries such as the US and UK.  On the other hand, 
breaking with tradition to vote against a neighbor would 
expose Botswana to harsh criticism within the region. 
Kenosi concluded that Botswana could not sully its 
international reputation and sacrifice its broader 
interests just to placate the Mugabe regime. 
 
COMMENT 
 
6. (C)  It is not yet clear that the GOB is set on a course 
to re-evaluate its approach to the crisis in Zimbabwe or to 
multilateral affairs in general.  Indeed, Khama does not 
have a reputation as a champion of human rights (reftel). 
Given his position of potential influence in a review of 
Botswana's approach to multilateral diplomacy, however, Mr. 
Kenosi's views are noteworthy.  If his perceptions are 
commonly shared within the MFA, a unique opportunity could 
emerge to positively influence the GOB's policy review. 
 
 
Mr. Kenosi explicitly recognized this fact and welcomed 
Mission's continued input on matters of global interest, 
which he saw as helpful in formulating policy 
recommendations.  Mission will continue to probe for and 
report on the foreign policy implications of Vice President 
Khama's expected ascendance to the presidency. 
 
HUGGINS 
 
 
NNNN