IMPORTANCE OF BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP STRESSED IN

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000741

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/S; USAID FOR AA/AFR AND AFR/SA; MCC FOR SGAULL
AND MHARRINGTON; USDOC FOR RTELCHIN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ETRD MZ PREL
SUBJECT: IMPORTANCE OF BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP STRESSED IN
AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL CALL ON PRESIDENCY SECRETARY-GENERAL
SUMBANA

REF: MAPUTO 703


1. (U) Ambassador made a farewell call on Presidency
Secretary-General Antonio Sumbana at Sumbana,s request on

SIPDIS
June 19. The Ambassador reviewed her June 15 farewell call
on President Guebuza (reported septel). Sumbana expressed
great pleasure with the state of the bilateral relationship
and said he wanted the USG to have no doubts that Mozambique
was a strategic partner in the region.


2. (U) Sumbana raised the USAID-funded corruption assessment
that has made headlines recently (see reftel). He expressed
pleasure that the Embassy had given the Presidency an advance
copy and said the report showed that the USG understood the
government,s efforts to educate the government and people
about the damage of corruption and to have senior government
officials be examples of proper behavior. He also cited the
importance of President Guebuza,s visits to the United
States, saying that while some criticized the decision to
travel to the U.S. four times in 2005, Guebuza insisted that
it was necessary in order to build the bilateral relationship
with the U.S. Sumbana stressed time and time again how key
Guebuza believes the U.S. is to Mozambique,s efforts to
build a stronger market economy.


3. (SBU) The Ambassador responded to these points and others
raised by Sumbana. She said we welcomed the discussion
generated by our corruption report. She emphasized the
attention Guebuza,s personal leadership in the fight against
HIV/AIDS was receiving within the USG. She informed Sumbana
that she had highlighted Guebuza,s actions in her
presentation at last week,s PEPFAR annual meeting in Durban
and that many participants had said that Guebuza was a leader
in the region in this area. She urged Sumbana to convey to
Guebuza the importance of continuing his efforts and the need
for him to talk about AIDS in ways that were not typical for
Presidents.


4. (SBU) On the negotiations between the OPIC-financed Nacala
Corridor railway/port project and the Brazilian firm CVRD
over a possible CVRD buyout of the railway line for use
transporting CVRD coal and interest by some in having the
coal be shipped via a different route, she said that the USG
supported use of whichever rail line was most commercially
viable to transport the coal, but that we understood that the
company believed this was the Nacala line. She asked Sumbana
to confirm which GOM officials would accompany Mrs. Guebuza
to New York for the First Lady,s Global Literacy Conference
in September; Sumbana promised an answer. She also reviewed
the President,s Malaria Initiative, progress toward signing
an MCC compact in the first quarter of 2007, and our progress
toward obtaining a New Embassy Compound site.


5. (SBU) Comment: Sumbana has been a useful channel to the
President and has given us greater access to the Presidency
than other embassies have. He has consistently emphasized
the importance Guebuza places on the relationship with the
USG. We look forward to continuing the relationship. End
Comment.
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