MOZAMBIQUE: FRELIMO A NO-SHOW AT AFRICAN

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000668 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS AF/S FOR HTREGER MCC FOR SGUALL NSC FOR CCOURVILLE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCOR PGOV PREL MZ SUBJECT: MOZAMBIQUE: FRELIMO A NO-SHOW AT AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARIANS NETWORK AGAINST CORRUPTION SEMINAR REF: A. MAPUTO 650 ¶B. MAPUTO 573 Sensitive but unclassified - please handle accordingly. Not for internet distribution. ¶1. (U) The African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (APNAC) held its third regional anti-corruption training seminar in Maputo on May 22-23. This regional forum, which was supported by both the Canadian and Danish development agencies, aimed to strengthen the capacity of African parliamentarians to fight corruption and promote good governance. The event also served as the launch of Mozambique's APNAC chapter, which is headed by National Assembly deputy Eduardo Namburete of the opposition RENAMO-UE coalition. ¶2. (U) The forum was attended by 30 parliamentarians from Lusophone Africa, including members of Angola's MPLA and UNITA political parties and more than a dozen RENAMO deputies. APNAC President, Augustiane Rizindana of Senegal, also attended the two-day session. Markedly absent, however, were deputies from the ruling FRELIMO party. Minister in the Presidency for Parliamentary Affairs Isabel Kavandeka, who reportedly had been slated to open the day's events, did not show up either, though the opening was delayed several hours in hopes that she would make an appearance. She never did. ¶3. (SBU) During a May 31 meeting with the acting DCM, Namburete said that FRELIMO purposefully boycotted the seminar because it was perceived as a RENAMO-driven initiative. FRELIMO, however, publicly blamed their absence on poor communication by the event's organizers. Yet staff of the Canadian High Commission told poloff on June 7 that, in fact, FRELIMO's leadership chose to avoid the corruption seminar. According to the Canadian source, FRELIMO deputies did not take part at the instruction of the President of the National Assembly, Eduardo Mulembwe, who apparently had taken offense at Namburete over a procedural matter in Parliament and retaliated by not allowing FRELIMO deputies to attend. FRELIMO majority whip Manuel Tome admitted to the Canadians in a private meeting that he regretted the party's absence at the seminar. No explanation for Minister Kavandeka's absence was ever provided. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: Though it appears to be petty politics at play behind FRELIMO's no-show at this pan-African corruption event, FRELIMO's absence has some political observers wondering in public about the strength of the party's, and by extension President Guebuza's, commitment to fight corruption. Post has just released a very critical December 2005 assessment on Mozambican corruption done by the US consulting firm MSI, financed by USAID, on our embassy website, which so far has received favorable comment in the local press (in March we provided President Guebuza a copy). We will look for additional opportunities to press the GRM to take steps to act on their anti-corruption rhetoric. La Lime