Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05DARESSALAAM2337
2005-12-28 12:14:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Cable title:  

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRAZER'S DECEMBER 21, 2005

Tags:  PGOV PREL PHUM TZ 
pdf how-to read a cable
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DAR ES SALAAM 002337 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

AF FOR DON YAMAMOTO
ALSO AF/E FOR BYODER AND AF/RSA FOR JNAY
DRL FOR KGILBRIDE
LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM TZ
SUBJECT: ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRAZER'S DECEMBER 21, 2005
CONVERSATION WITH TANZANIAN PRESIDENT JAKAYA KIKWETE

REF: A. DAR ES SALAAM 02322


B. DAR ES SALAAM 02321

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DAR ES SALAAM 002337

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

AF FOR DON YAMAMOTO
ALSO AF/E FOR BYODER AND AF/RSA FOR JNAY
DRL FOR KGILBRIDE
LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM TZ
SUBJECT: ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRAZER'S DECEMBER 21, 2005
CONVERSATION WITH TANZANIAN PRESIDENT JAKAYA KIKWETE

REF: A. DAR ES SALAAM 02322


B. DAR ES SALAAM 02321


1. (U) December 21, 2005, 3:30 p.m., Dar es Salaam, Tanzania


2. (U) Participants:

U.S.
Jendayi E. Frazer, Assistant Secretary for African Affairs
Ambassador Michael Retzer
Dr. Cindy Courville, Special Assistant to the President and
Senior Advisor, NSC

D. Purnell Delly, DCM
Mary Johnson, Political Counselor and Notetaker

TANZANIA
President Jakaya Kikwete
Ambassador Cisco Mitro, Chief of Protocol, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MFA)
Ambassador Pastor Ngaiza, Director of Europe and Americas
Division (MFA)

Summary
--------------


3. (SBU) In a December 21 meeting, Tanzania,s new President,
Jakaya Kikwete, thanked the U.S. inaugural delegation led by
AF Assistant Secretary Jendayi Frazer for Tanzania,s
selection as a Millennium Challenge Compact country. He also
expressed his appreciation for U.S. HIV/AIDS and malaria
assistance. In a private meeting just four hours after he
was sworn in to a five-year term as President of Tanzania,
Kikwete promised to work toward closer cooperation between
our two governments including in the fight against terrorism
and within the United Nations. He promised that one of his
first appointments would be a coordinator and point person
for Tanzania,s MCA eligibility. End summary.

Support Across the Nation
--------------


4. (SBU) President Kikwete told Assistant Secretary Frazer,
NSC Africa Senior Director, Dr. Cindy Courville, and
Ambassador Retzer that after an intensive campaign, he was
glad the election was finally behind him. He was
appreciative that his mandate had crossed party lines with
polling results showing that not only ruling CCM party
supporters had voted for him, but members of other parties
had selected him while still casting parliamentary and local
councilor votes for their own parties, candidates. "Since a
cross-section of the population voted for me, it has created
unity and strengthened what our new administration will be
able to do,8 Kikwete added. Dr. Courville replied,
&Winning over 80 percent of the vote is very impressive; you

have real political capital now.8


5. (SBU) A/S Frazer conveyed President Bush,s written
congratulations to Kikwete, saying that &We are excited
about your presidency. All of Africa and the world are
looking forward to working with your new government.8 She
noted that Tanzania is very important to President Bush both
as an MCC country, as well as one of the 15 countries
worldwide in the USG HIV-AIDS prevention initiative (PEPFAR)
and one of three countries to launch the President,s Malaria
Initiative. A/S Frazer added: &The United States looks
forward to deepening the relationship between our two
countries.8

Closer Ties
--------------


6. (SBU) Kikwete was grateful for President Bush,s
congratulatory message stating that it was the first written
congratulations he had received from a head of state. (Note:
President Kikwete,s inauguration ceremony was attended by 14
heads of state--13 presidents and the King of Lesotho--from
other African countries. End note). He assured the
delegation that his government remains fully committed to and
&will not waiver in the fight against terrorism.8 He also
emphasized that the United States is &an important friend,8
and he wants to deepen the bilateral relationship. In
particular, he was pleased that Tanzania had been chosen as a
Millennium Challenge Compact country.


7. (SBU) Kikwete stated unequivocally that his first priority
is poverty reduction, reiterating how key MCC is to reaching
that goal. &The MCC is critically important for our efforts
to raise our standard of living; we are ready to fully
cooperate in that area. We will also look for other
opportunities where we can cooperate.8 Ambassador Retzer
reminded him of the importance of appointing a coordinator
for the MCC as soon as possible. &Please, I have only been
in office for a few hours!8 the new president joked. &But
seriously, we will do that.8

New Areas of Cooperation
--------------


8. (SBU) Assistant Secretary Frazer continued that, in
addition to ongoing programs and issues, the USG looks
forward to working closely in the U.N. Security Council, and
to expanding mil-to-mil cooperation between our two
countries. She explained that the USG goal is to cooperate
as much as possible with Tanzania on programs that are
allowable absent an Article 98 agreement until such an
agreement could be signed. She said the U.S. would continue
to engage Tanzania on signing an Article 98 agreement.


9. (SBU) President Kikwete explained that UN reform remains a
priority for Tanzania, but &as I have mentioned to you in
previous meetings, we believe it is important to give time to
build a consensus.8 He explained that in the past &we have
had some problems with our G-4 friends, but Tanzania and the
other countries weathered those problems and gained
understanding. We will continue to follow this approach.8


10. (SBU) Dr. Courville stated that the United States
welcomes building a strong and open dialogue with Tanzania
and that both the NSC and the Department look forward to
&your coming to Washington to meet with President Bush in
order to discuss the way forward both on the Article 98
agreement as well as the Millennium Challenge Compact.8

MCC Strategy
--------------


11. (SBU) Kikwete assured the delegation that one of the
earliest decisions he will make is to appoint a person to
head up Tanzania,s Millennium Challenge Compact Office.
&In early December I discussed with Ambassador Retzer what
our government needs to do. I intend to have my MCC team on
the ground here before the MCC team comes from Washington to
visit in early February.8 He stated at this point his
preference is to place the MCC coordinating office in the
State House, to be closer to his own office.


12. (SBU) Ambassador Retzer suggested that President Kikwete
might do well to send one or two persons from his MCC team to
other countries that have made rapid progress in establishing
an MCC compact such as Benin, Cape Verde or Madagascar.

AU Presidency
--------------


13. (SBU) In her final point, A/S Frazer raised the USG,s
concerns about the next AU presidency. While conceding it
was a sensitive subject, she shared U.S. concern with
President Kikwete that Sudan might assume the presidency of
the African Union, despite its complicity in Darfur. She
suggested that perhaps East Africa may even want to cede the
chair to Central Africa.


14. (SBU) President Kikwete asked the U.S. delegation to
&trust Africa; we always finally do the right thing.8 He
recalled that when a similar situation arose in the Southern
Africa Development Community (SADC) and Zimbabwe was being
considered, that Tanzania had volunteered to take the chair.
&Although it is far too soon for me to volunteer for the
chair, I assure you that within the AU and other regional
organizations, Tanzania,s role is always to build bridges,
not to break them.8

Comment
--------------


15. (SBU) President Kikwete was relaxed, confident, and happy
to have finally reached his long-anticipated inauguration
day. It was heartening that his first point to the
delegation was an expression of his new administration's
determination to make progress on the Millennium Challenge
Compact without delay, and he was clearly excited by the idea
of an early visit to Washington next year. Indeed, Kikwete
welcomed a second meeting with Assistant Secretary Frazer
(which we will report septel) in which they discussed a wide
range of issues including Zanzibar, Museveni and Uganda,s
presidential succession, and Ethiopia/Eritrea. All in all,
there was nothing in U.S. Del,s and then A/S Frazer,s own
meetings here, particularly with President Kikwete, which did
anything to dispel the notion that U.S.-Tanzanian relations
stand on the threshold of a new and exciting chapter.


16. (U) Assistant Secretary Frazer cleared this cable.

DELLY