SOUTH AFRICA EXPANDING COOPERATION IN BOLIVIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRETORIA 003182 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2016 TAGS: PREL BO SF SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA EXPANDING COOPERATION IN BOLIVIA REF: A. PRETORIA 151 ¶B. PRETORIA 128 ¶C. PRETORIA 38 Classified By: DCM Don Teitelbaum. Reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. South Africa plans to expand its cooperation with Bolivia, particularly in the mining and energy sectors, according to DFA Director Swanepoel. Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad led a high-level delegation to Bolivia July 17-20 to discuss a South African-Bolivian bilateral cooperation agreement. At the invitation of the Bolivians, Minister of Transport Radebe will attend the opening of the Bolivian Constituent Assembly August 6 in La Paz. South Africa has invited Bolivian Vice President Garcia to visit Pretoria before the end of the year. The ANC-led government has pursued responsible economic, mining and energy policies since the end of apartheid, and their influence in Bolivia could be positive. End Summary. -------------- South African Delegation Travels to Bolivia -------------- ¶2. (C) Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Director for Mexico, Central America, The Andean Community and the Caribbean, Ambassador Pieter Swanepoel (protect) briefed PolOff July 28 on the recent South African Government trip to Bolivia. (Note: Swanepoel also discussed SAG policy on Haiti (septel). End Note.) The SAG delegation, led by Minister in the Presidency, Essop Pahad, visited Bolivia July 17-20. Pahad was accompanied by Minister of Mineral and Energy Buyelwa Sonjica, Speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Sue van der Merwe, and Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Johnny de Lange. This trip was a follow up to then-President-elect Morales' trip to South Africa in January. -------------- Seeking Areas of Cooperation -------------- ¶3. (C) The purpose of the Pahad-led trip was to initiate negotiations on a bilateral cooperation agreement and identify specific areas for partnership. Swanepoel frankly admitted that the visit was "quite disorganized" on the Bolivian side. The delegation met with both the President and Foreign Minister, but those discussions were largely superficial. Swanepoel noted that Pahad was fascinated by Morales' description of the "People's Trade Treaty," between Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela, and asked a number of questions about the accord. 
¶4. (C) Swanepoel said that the only area where concrete cooperation is likely, at least in the short-term, is in the minerals and energy arena. Given its large domestic mining operations, South Africa has considerable policy expertise in this area, which Swanepoel believed could be quite helpful in the current Bolivian context. The initial plan is for South African organizations, including PetroSA (the state parastatal energy company) and the Council for Geoscience (equivalent to the U.S. Geological Society),to visit Bolivia in the coming months to exchange ideas. Swanepoel said that the South African mining and energy companies have expressed interest in commercial opportunities in Bolivia, but said that these discussions were very preliminary; the SAG was also aware that the Bolivian policy framework must to be appropriate for investment. ¶5. (C) Bolivia would like to initiate yearly bilateral meetings with South Africa at the presidential level, something that Mbeki evidently promised during his meeting with Morales in January. Swanepoel noted that only one other country has this relationship -- neighboring Mozambique -- and that the Department of Foreign Affairs was trying to lower the yearly meetings to the working level, perhaps at the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs rank. Swanepoel admitted that "some in the Presidency" -- likely referring to Essop Pahad -- are attracted to Morales' personal story, drawing some comparisons to the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. He said that DFA is trying to "keep hold" of the policy. -------------- Bolivia to Open Embassy in South Africa -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Bolivia would like to open a diplomatic mission in South Africa in 2007. Van der Merwe welcomed a Bolivian mission in South Africa, but told them that South Africa would not be in a position to open an embassy in La Paz before 2009 at the earliest. South Africa's diplomatic resources are focused on Africa; the SAG is in the process of opening an embassy in every country on the African continent. Within Latin American, South Africa has promised to open an Embassy in Colombia next. -------------- Non-Governmental Contacts to Continue -------------- ¶7. (C) In addition to the formal government relationship, Swanepoel said he personally thought that South Africa might be able to share its reconciliation experience with the Bolivians. He noted that South Africa's initial involvement in Bolivia was through private citizens -- Roelf Meyer and Ebrahim Ebrahim (through the Club de Madrid) -- and he hoped their involvement would continue. (Note: PolOff plans to meet with Meyer and Ebrahim in the coming weeks to discuss their future plans in Bolivia, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere. End Note.) Both Meyer and Ebrahim played important roles in South Africa's democratic transition. Swanepoel believed that these personal, informal exchanges could be useful. -------------- Upcoming Visits -------------- ¶8. (C) Bolivia invited South Africa to send an observer to the August 6 opening of the Constituent Assembly. Originally South Africa planned to send Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, but the scheduling did not work. Instead, President Mbeki is sending Transportation Minister Jeff Radebe. ¶9. (C) South Africa invited Bolivian Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera to visit South Africa before the end of the year, likely in October. Swanepoel said that they hope to sign the bilateral cooperation agreement with Garcia during his trip. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶10. (C) South Africa has few interests in Bolivia, but Morales' visit to South Africa in January -- and personal story -- appears to have attracted the interest of some key SAG leaders. We believe it is possible that the increased cooperation between South Africa and Bolivia, particularly on economic issues, could have a positive impact on Bolivian policy. Since the end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has followed responsible economic policies, including in the mining and energy sectors. End Comment. Bost