TANZANIA: CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION LEGISLATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAR ES SALAAM 001883 SIPDIS SIPDIS VCI FOR KWALKIN AND DCLAGETT; ISN/CB FOR ESIDLER; IO/UNP FOR BHARRIS AND SVANBRANDY; UNSUN FOR EBRUNO; AF/E FOR BYODER E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2011 TAGS: PARM PREL CWC OPCW CBW AF TZ SUBJECT: TANZANIA: CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION LEGISLATION MOVING FORWARD REF: A. A. STATE 134200 ¶B. B. DAR ES SALAAM 01425 ¶C. C. DAR ES SALAAM 01501 Classified By: D. Purnell Delly, Deputy Chief of Mission, for reason 1. 4 (b). ¶1. (U) This cable contains an Action Request. See para 6. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY. The Government of Tanzania (GOT) is making steady progress toward implementing its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). In late October, the Ministry of Defense (MOD) finalized draft legislation for implementation of the CWC and tabled the legislation at an Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee. The Committee approved the bill on November 15 and forwarded the bill to President Kikwete's Cabinet. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA),the Cabinet will review, and likely approve, the legislation on November 28. The MFA expects that the bill will then be tabled in Parliament during the April 2007 session. The GOT would like to conduct sensitization seminars to build awareness among Members of Parliament about the importance of CWC legislation. Informally, the GOT has asked post what type of assistance the USG would be able to provide to support such sensitization efforts (see para 4). END SUMMARY. CWC Bill Approved by Technical Committee -------------- ¶3. (C) Irene Mkwawa-Kasyanju, Head of the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that the GOT had made progress on legislation for implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). She explained that the Ministry of Defense (MOD),finalized the draft bill in late October and tabled the bill at an Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee on November 15. "The Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee, which is a meeting with all Permanent Secretaries, passed the legislation with few concerns or amendments," Mkwawa-Kasyanju noted. She stressed that approval by the Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee was a critical step in moving the legislation forward to the Cabinet. Cabinet to Review CWC Bill on November 28 -------------- ¶4. (C) According to Mkwawa-Kasyanju, the President's Cabinet is scheduled to review the Chemical Weapons Convention bill on November 28. She predicted that the legislation would be approved by the Cabinet without any problems and with few amendments: "The legislation has already successfully passed at the technical level, so we do not foresee any major changes or hold-up with obtaining Cabinet approval." U.S. Assistance for Parliamentary Sensitization? -------------- -- ¶5. (SBU) While hesitant to predict when the legislation would move to Parliament for a first reading, Ms. Mkwawa-Kasyanju said her best guess was the April 2007 session. "Before we move the bill to Parliament," she explained, "we would like to hold seminars to sensitize the Parliament." Mkwawa-Kasyanju asked Poloff what U.S. assistance might be available for sensitization seminars. She noted that, if the GOT adequately briefed Members of Parliament on the importance of the CWC, the process would move more efficiently. Poloff promised to inquire with Washington about precisely what type of assistance was available to help countries implement the CWC. Comment and Action Request: -------------- ¶6. (C) From October 16-17, Tanzania hosted a regional CWC conference for National Authorities in Africa. The conference seems to have motivated Tanzania to push forward on implementing its obligations under the CWC, especially on the legislative front. Mkwawa-Kasyanju called the conference a "success" and said the discussions focused attention on what Tanzania needed to do next. Action Request: To build on this positive momentum, Post would appreciate additional information on what type of technical assistance can be provided to sensitize Tanzania's Members of Parliament to the CWC legislation. END COMMENT. RETZER