POSSIBLE FOREIGN POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF A KHAMA

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
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