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