CHAD'S PARTICIPATION IN 2005 AGOA FORUM

UNCLAS NDJAMENA 000623 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF, AF/C, EB, LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICAWATCHER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AMGT ECON ETRD SUBJECT: CHAD'S PARTICIPATION IN 2005 AGOA FORUM REF: STATE 031066 ¶1. The Ambassador delivered points by letter from REFTEL on 2005 AGOA forum to Minister of Commerce Routouang Yoma Golom. On April 6, he met with the Minister to discuss the points. He emphasized the importance of Chadian participation this year, given the growing importance of its economy for US-Africa economic relations, and the lack of Chadian representation in past conferences. ¶2. The Minister said he would be present at the conference, and call on other Ministers dealing with trade issues to do the same. Golom also noted his support for inviting members of the private sector and civil society. The Minister did not offer any thoughts on possible topics of discussion at the Forum. He did express interest in any further information we could provide about the difference between the 2005 AGOA Forum and the CCA Business Summit to be held the following month. ¶3. To ensure that this issue does not lose momentum, Post will continue to encourage the appropriate Ministries and members of the private sector to participate in the conference. We believe that topics of particular interest to Chadian participants would include developing production capacity for higher value textile products (e.g. yarn, fabric) and exporting specialized agricultural products (e.g. sesame). Post would welcome any guidance on how to explain the difference between the 2005 AGOA forum and the CCA Business Summit. WALL NNNN