BRAZZAVILLE IN BRIEF OCTOBER 12 2007

UNCLAS BRAZZAVILLE 000416 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/C J SWAN, C BARGERON, AF/EPS THOMAS HASTINGS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR EAID ECON SCUL MARR CF SUBJECT: BRAZZAVILLE IN BRIEF OCTOBER 12 2007 ¶1. (U) Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil , will arrive in Brazzaville October 15 for one day meeting with GRoC to discuss bilateral agreements and participate in the RoC launch of a campaign to provide immunizations for measles and distribution of bednets for children aged 5 years and younger. The U.S. Ambassador coordinated the receipt of 210,000 mosquito-treated bednets for the campaign from an American donor "Nothing but Nets." ¶2. (U) Rumors of a Cabinet shuffle have been silenced once again following a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Denis Sassou-Nguesso On October 10. Nguesso told members of the Cabinet that the reshuffle was not a priority right now and the meeting was spent addressing progress made on human rights, justice and energy initiatives and defining the function of the magistrate court. ¶3. (U) Infrastructure: The final agreement between the RoC Minister of Transportation and the Consortium Malaysia-Korea-Congo (CMKC) was signed on October 10. CMKC will construct two railways that will connect the northernmost city of Ouesso with the commercial center of Pointe Noire. The construction will begin in 2009. CMKC will control operations for the railway transport system for 15 years following the completion of the project. Post is pursuing details on the planned reparation of the major railway from Pointe Noire to Brazzaville. Domenica Pavard, representing a delegation of the European Union (EU),and Pierre Moussa, RoC minister of State, Town Planning, Housing, & Land Reform, signed an agreement that the EU will finance the operations of dredging the area surrounding the Brazzaville port operations of the Congo River and will provide maintenance of the interior waterways project for an estimated cost or US$6 million. Oscar Otoka, an official of the Public Works Ministry, announced that the electricity generating site at Mpila has been completed. This project will supplement electricity currently purchased from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRoC) for Brazzaville. ¶4. (U) Agriculture: International Funds for Agricultural Development (IFAD),an international financial institution which combats rural hunger and poverty in developing countries through low-interest loans and direct assistance, in partnership with the RoC ministry for Agriculture and the breeding, sponsored a week-long seminar focused on the production and marketing of agricultural products. Jeanne Dambendzet, RoC Minister of Agriculture, gathered experts from various countries of Africa and Europe, to focus on better management of economical projects that IFDA finances in their countries. ¶5. (U) Former Prime Minister Stiphane Bongho-Nouara died on October 7, 2007 in Belgium. Bongho-Naura had been in exile since 1997. He served as PM under Pascal Lissouba's regime from September 2 and he resigned on December 6, 1992. WEISBERG