KHARTOUM NEC - STATUS OF CONTAINERS

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 002794 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE FOR OBO - GEN WILLIAMS FROM CHARGE HUME E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ABLD AMGT ASEC PREL US SU SUBJECT: KHARTOUM NEC - STATUS OF CONTAINERS REF: State 193481 ¶1. (SBU) On December 4, CDA Hume met with the Deputy Director for the Americas at the MFA to raise the need for action by the Sudanese government to release construction materials for the New Embassy Compound (NEC) from customs at Port Sudan. OBO Project Executive Albertson and Management Counselor Whitaker accompanied. Embassy Khartoum had previously raised this issue through established MFA channels, but the Ministry of Finance recently had returned the documentation to employees of the contractor's customs facilitator since the signature was no longer valid. The previous director of customs and shipping had been re-assigned, invalidating his signature on the form. Hume emphasized the importance of this project and the need for importation of materials for it to proceed smoothly. He further stated that if this continued to be a problem, the project might be cancelled. ¶2. (SBU) In response, Deputy Director of the Americas desk said he would provide assistance to resolve the issue. Upon receipt of another set of the required documentation, he would personally get the needed signatures from MFA officials, and was of the view that in that case, action by the Ministry of Finance would be routine. However, he noted that there were some special procedures for the importation of steel re-bar, cement, and ceramic tiles, which did not appear to be involved in this case. The approval by the MFA will release the containers to the contractor as diplomatic cargo. In the event his own efforts did not resolve the matter, he said he would bring it to the attention of Under Secretary Mutriff Saddiq, who would return to the office in two days. ¶3. (SBU) Although this may pave the way for the release of the 10 containers now at stake; Embassy Khartoum will stay involved with this matter. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: Although the odds are in our favor to resolve this matter and eventually to achieve timely clearance of other shipments, bilateral relations are under stress, and lower-level officials often make simple transactions difficult. In this case, the exclusion from the United States of a senior level official who normally deals with bilateral matters (State Minister Ali Karti) has complicated our ability to navigate the shoals of the MFA bureaucracy. End comment. HUME