MOZAMBIQUE: FADM PARTICIPATION IN SUDAN PKO

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000067 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS IO/PSC, AF/RSA AND AF/S FOR HTREGER NSC FOR CCOURVILLE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPKO PGOV PHUM PINS PREL MZ SUBJECT: MOZAMBIQUE: FADM PARTICIPATION IN SUDAN PKO REF: A. MAPUTO 21 ¶B. MAPUTO MZ 201454Z DEC 05 ¶1. (SBU) During a January 17 meeting between Ambassador and acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Henrique Banze to discuss UN reform (septel),Ambassador inquired whether the GRM had decided to accept the UN invitation to participate in the peacekeeping operation (PKO) in Sudan. Banze said the GRM was prepared to reply affirmatively to the UN, but did not yet know whether the UN would decide it wanted Mozambique's participation. Banze said that the Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM) were properly trained and ready to participate, but that logistical limitations remained (ref A). Banze, who was Vice Minister of Defense in the Chissano government before moving to the Foreign Ministry under Guebuza, referred the Ambassador to the Ministry of Defense for specific needs, but he said he knew of general challenges the FADM faced, including vehicles, strategic airlift, and subsidies customarily paid to troops on missions abroad. ¶2. (SBU) Banze admitted that the situation would be difficult to address without outside assistance since PKOs were not included in the GRM'sQ006 budget. He implied that such a line item could not be easily added at this stageQNote: The 2006 state budget has been approved by the Council of Ministers and is scheduled to be voted on in the legislature in March. End note.) Banze suggested that the GRM may need to find an outside partner, such as they had done in Burundi with the UK, in order to support a PKO deployment in Sudan. He added that the GRM had also worked out agreements in the past wherein partner countries "leased" their equipment to FADM; however, he acknowledged that this arrangement was not ideal as it presented compatibility issues (e.g. FADM not being trained in the use of equipment that was leased to them). Banze did say that the FADM's stock of military equipment had improved greatly over the past year, thanks to support from donors like the UK and the USG and as a result, Mozambique was slowly building its capacity as a PKO partner. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: Banze did not make a direct request for the necessary equipment to support Mozambique's participation. However, the Minister of Defense is seeking a meeting with the Ambassador to discuss the ongoing ACOTA program in Mozambique, at which time the GRM may make a formal assistance request. La Lime