PRESIDENT YAYI WRITES TO PRESIDENT BUSH AND SECRETARY RICE

UNCLAS COTONOU 000961 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W DANA BANKS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS:OPDC,PGOV,BN SUBJECT: PRESIDENT YAYI WRITES TO PRESIDENT BUSH AND SECRETARY RICE REF: BANKS/BROWN EMAIL 12/19/07 1.(SBU) President Yayi sent letters to President Bush and Secretary Rice on December 17 and 18, 2007 thanking President Bush for deciding to visit Cotonou, asking President Bush to spend a night in Cotonou, and informing President Bush and Secretary Rice that President Bush will be awarded Benin's highest honor and granted an honorary doctorate at the time of President Bush's visit to Benin. Post understands (Ref) Benin's Embassy to the U.S. delivered the same letters to the Department. Post's informal translation of those letters follows. 2.(SBU) On December 17 Post received a letter numbered 780 - /PR/CAB/SP, dated December 17, and signed by President Yayi welcoming President Bush's visit to Benin. Embassy's informal translation of the letter follows: (Begin Translation of Letter) Dear Mr. President: It is with special pleasure that I have been informed by your Ambassador in Benin of your decision to make a stop in my Country, the Republic of Benin, on Saturday, February 16, 2008, during your next trip to Africa. I would like to thank you very sincerely for this expression of confidence by Your Excellence in Benin, its people and its Government. The Beninese people are highly honored by this visit of a United States Head of State and would like to organize a big prayer meeting in your honor hosted by the scholars of the College of Beninese Pastors in your honor, in order to shed blessings on You. Because of the consideration and the high esteem brought to you by the entire Beninese community, the Beninese people would be honored if your Excellence would agree to spend even just one night in Cotonou. In light of the fruitful discussions we had in Washington, D.C., on December 13 2006, I would be very happy to welcome you in Benin so that we might continue our exchanges on achievements accomplished as part of the very dynamic cooperation between our two countries, mainly in the areas of education, health and MCA. Looking forward to welcoming you in Cotonou, please accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my highest consideration. /Signed/ Dr Boni Yayi (End translation of letter) 3.(SBU) On December 17, Post received a letter numbered 781 - C /PR/CAB/SP, dated December 17, 2007 and signed by President Yayi to Secretary Rice welcoming President Bush's visit and urging her to SIPDIS convince President Bush to spend a night in Benin. (Begin Translation of Letter) Dear Secretary of State: It is with special pleasure that I have been informed by your Ambassador in Benin of President Bush's decision to visit my Country, the Republic of Benin, on Saturday, February 16, 2008, during your next trip to Africa. This visit is a great honor for Benin, its people and its Government in their efforts to create an emerging economy in the context of good governance, transparency and a public sector in service to development. The much appreciated Unites States contribution to our efforts in the areas of health and education as well as through Benin's MCA programs causes the Beninese people to admire President Bush and the American people. With regard to the enthusiasm that presently animates my Government and my People in all their public, private and confessional segments, regarding President Bush's visit, I would like to request, Madame Secretary of State, to bring your influence, which I know is strong, to requesting the Honorable President not to make a visit of a few hours but to make this stop a real one in his African tour by spending at least one night. In fact, we are planning to hold a prayers and communion session in honor of the President, which could last longer than the stop as initially scheduled by your administration. Still reiterating my admiration for your dexterity in leading international relations, please accept, Madam Secretary of State, the assurances of my distinguished consideration. /Signed/ Dr Boni Yayi (End translation of letter) ¶4. (SBU) On December 18, Post received a letter numbered 783 - C /PR/CAB/SP, dated December 18, and signed by President Yayi informing President Bush that he will be awarded the Highest Distinction of the GOB, the Beninese National Order, during his February 2008 visit to Benin. Embassy's informal translation of the letter follows: ¶2. (Begin Translation of Letter) Mr. President and Dear Friend: Following my letter of December 17, 2007 expressing my pleasure to welcome you soon to Cotonou, during your official visit in February 2007, I am happy to reiterate that the Beninese people are honored by this visit that will be marked with an indelible seal. In this regard, among the activities that will mark your stay, my Government plans to award you its Highest Distinction, the National Order of Benin, after making you a Doctor Honoris Causa of the National University of Benin. Also, as a credit to all the initiatives that you took in favor of the eradication of poverty, mainly MCA and the Support to Justice Program, and above all your personal support to the Beninese People through the selection of Benin as a beneficiary of your noble Malaria Initiative, I would like you to symbolically give out long lasting chemically treated mosquito nets to a few families after you address the Beninese National Assembly. Also, as a symbol of recognition of your commitment in favor of my country's development, your stay in Benin will be an opportunity to concretize our promise of decreeing October 10, President Bush Day, devoted to activities related to the fight against malaria. Finally, my Government will be happy to name a street in my country after your illustrious name. Looking forward to welcoming you soon to Cotonou, please accept, Mr. President, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration. /Signed/ Dr Boni Yayi 5.(SBU) On December 18, Post received a letter numbered 784 - C /PR/CAB/SP, dated December 18 and signed by President Yayi informing Secretary Rice that President Bush will be awarded the Highest SIPDIS Distinction of the GOB, the Beninese National Order, during President Bush's February 2008 visit to Benin. Embassy's informal translation of the letter follows: Dear Madam Secretary of Stare and Dear Sister: As I stated in my letter dated December 17, 2007 in which I expressed how happy I was to be welcoming President Bush during an official visit in February 2007, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that I would like to make this visit a historical one that will be marked with an indelible seal. In this regard, apart from the plan to award President Bush the Highest Distinction of the National Order of Benin, he will be made Doctor Honoris Causa of the National University of Benin. Also, as a credit to all President Bush's initiatives in favor of the eradication of poverty, mainly MCA and the Support to Justice Program, and above all for his personal solicitude towards the Beninese People through the selection of Benin as a beneficiary of your noble Malaria Initiative, I would like him to agree to symbolically give out long lasting chemically treated mosquito nets to a few families, after his address to the Beninese National Assembly. Also, as a symbol of recognition of his commitment in favor of my country's development, his stay in Benin will be an opportunity to concretize our promise of decreeing October 10, President Bush Day, dedicated to activities related to the fight against malaria. Finally, my Government will be happy to name a street in my country after his illustrious name. I would like to count on your personal support and your usual ability to reorganize the program of President Bush's tour in Africa in a way to allow President Bush to honor Benin and its people who hold him in particularly high sympathy and consideration. Looking forward to seeing this happen, please accept, Madam Secretary of State, the renewed assurances of my highest SIPDIS consideration. Brotherly, /Signed/ Dr Boni Yayi (End translation of letter) BROWN