ENGAGING SADC IN GLOBAL COALITION AGAINST

C O N F I D E N T I A L LILONGWE 001976 E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/11 TAGS: PTER PREL SADC MI SUBJECT: ENGAGING SADC IN GLOBAL COALITION AGAINST TERRORISM REF: A)STATE 179915 B) LILONGWE 1966 C) GABORONE 3385 CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE THOMAS DOUGHERTY. REASON 1.5 (B/D) ¶1. (C) AT AN OCTOBER 19 MEETING WITH MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS LILIAN PATEL PRIMARILY TO DISCUSS THE SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE (REFTEL B),CHARGE ASKED PATEL HER VIEWS ON HOW SADC AND THE USG COULD COOPERATE IN THE GLOBAL COALITION ON TERRORISM. ¶2. (C) PATEL SAID THAT HER PRINCIPAL SECRETARY, BERNARD SANDE, HAD ARRIVED BACK FROM BOTSWANA THE PRIOR EVENING AND THAT SHE WAS AWARE THAT THE ISSUE OF US-SADC COOPERATION ON TERRORISM HAD BEEN DISCUSSED AT THE TROIKA MEETING IN GABORONE. SHE ADDED, HOWEVER, THAT SHE HAD NOT YET BEEN BRIEFED BY SANDE. ¶3. (C) PATEL INDICATED SHE BELIEVED SADC COULD PLAY A POSITIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM. SHE SAID THAT COOPERATION WITH REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS SADC WOULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN AD-HOC INITIATIVES SUCH AS PRESIDENT WADE'S SUMMIT. SADC ALREADY HAS STRUCTURES IN PLACE, SHE SAID, THAT WOULD FACILITATE EFFECTIVE COLLABORATION. ¶4. (C) THE MINISTER SAID SHE WOULD BE SPEAKING WITH PRESIDENT MULUZI ABOUT THIS ISSUE AFTER SHE HAD BEEN FULLY BRIEFED BY HER PRINCIPAL SECRETARY. SHE LOOKS FORWARD TO FURTHER DISCUSSION WHEN MULUZI AND SHE MEET WITH PDAS BELLAMY IN LILONGWE ON OCTOBER 23. ¶5. (C) NOTE: REFTEL (C) REPORTED THAT TROIKA OFFICIALS WHO DISCUSSED THE ISSUE WITH AMBASSADOR LANGE ON OCTOBER 17 INTENDED TO TAKE UP THE MATTER WITH PRESIDENT CHISSANO IN HIS CAPACITY AS CHAIRMAN OF THE SADC ORGAN. WHILE WAITING FOR THE FOREIGN MINISTER TO ARRIVE FOR THE MEETING, CHARGE ASKED MFA OFFICIAL IF PRINCIPAL SECRETARY SANDE HAD RETURNED FROM BOTSWANA. THE OFFICIAL SAID THAT HE HAD, BUT THAT HE WAS PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO TRAVEL AGAIN THIS WEEKEND TO MOZAMBIQUE. END NOTE. DOUGHERTY