Mozambique - March Political Digest

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MAPUTO 000433 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE AF/S FOR CKARBER AND HTREGER AF/RSA FOR MBITTRICK G/TIP FOR RYOUSEY MCC FOR SGAULL USAID FOR AFR/SA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PARM PGOV PREL MZ SUBJECT: Mozambique - March Political Digest MAPUTO 00000433 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (U) This is a summary of significant political developments in Mozambique that occurred during March 2007. We provide it as a supplement to our other reporting. -- Commission of Inquiry into Weapons Depot Explosion -- Likely Delay in Scheduling Provincial Elections -- Humanitarian De-mining Winding Down -- Mozambique Sends Large Delegation to Trafficking- in-Persons Conference Commission of Inquiry into Weapons Depot Explosion -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On March 23 President Guebuza announced the formation of an independent Commission of Inquiry into the March 22 explosions at the Malhazine weapons depot in Maputo. The explosions killed over 100 people and injured more than 500. Charged with establishing the cause of the explosions, the Commission consists of three senior judges: the President of the Administrative Tribunal (the body that monitors the legality of public expenditure),Antonio Pale; the presiding judge of the Maputo city court, Augusto Paulino; and the director of the Judicial Training Centre, Bemvinda Levy. Although Guebuza stated that the Commission would have a free hand in its investigation, some believe the Commission will provide only the report that the government wants. The main opposition party, RENAMO, charges that the Commission is not sufficient and has called on the National Assembly to set up its own commission of inquiry. According to government, most of the material ejected from the depot by the blasts has been collected. The government has announced that it will compensate victims, paying their medical bills and rebuilding destroyed dwellings. Comment: Embassy sources report that the Commission appears to be working very slowly and is nowhere near ready to issue a report on its findings. End comment. Likely Delay in Scheduling Provincial Elections -------------- - ¶3. (U) Mozambique's first provincial assembly elections are constitutionally mandated to be held no later than January 20, 2008. Efforts had been underway to schedule the elections prior to the rainy season this year, which starts in October, but that now seems unlikely. The National Electoral Committee (CNE),the body responsible for proposing a date for the elections, according to the Constitution must do so six months in advance but has not yet even been formed. ¶4. (U) The Constitutional Court, after general elections held during the rainy season (in December) in 2004, recommended that subsequent elections take place during drier months so that voters would have less trouble reaching polling sites. However, due to the six month restriction, if CNE is formed in May/June the date for the election will probably be November or December, during the rainy season. To shift the election date to the dry season would require either the shortening of the six month advance notice requirement or missing the constitutionally mandated January 20 deadline. The leader of the Parliamentary Commission on Elections is of the opinion that a change in the six month requirement can be done only with the concurrence of the leadership of the two main political parties, which he told emboff was not likely. Humanitarian De-mining Winding Down -------------- ¶5. (U) Fifteen years after the end of Mozambique's devastating civil war, efforts to clear the country of deadly landmines are winding down. The MAPUTO 00000433 002.2 OF 002 largest humanitarian group involved in de-mining, the UK-based nongovernmental organization HALO Trust, has informed donor governments (including the USG) that its work in the northern half of the country is nearly done. HALO will end its de-mining operations in June after working in Mozambique's four northern provinces for 13 years. ¶6. (U) The Norwegian People's Aid (NPA),a humanitarian NGO run by the Norwegian trade union movement that has been active in Mozambique for many years, departed the country in December 2006. NPA, upon leaving, said that the GRM had the capacity to handle the few mines that remained in the central provinces, the area where NPA worked. International humanitarian support for de-mining operations in Mozambique dropped by more than 25 percent in 2006, to US$9.2 million from $12.7 million the year before, reflecting a growing consensus among donor and aid organizations that landmines in Mozambique no longer pose a major threat. Mozambique Sends Large Delegation to Trafficking- in-Persons Conference -------------- -------------- ¶7. (U) The Southern Africa Network Against Trafficking and Abuse of Children (SANTAC) held its annual meeting in Johannesburg on March 27-29. Of the 100 participants from 10 countries attending the SANTAC conference, approximately 30 came from Mozambique, including civil society and government representatives. Keynote speakers included former Mozambican First Lady Graca Machel, current South African Justice Minister Brigite Sylvia, and a representative for Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The three-day SANTAC conference focused on devising a consensus definition of trafficking-in-persons, encouraging bilateral and regional cooperation, and discussing prevention, prosecution, and protection techniques. The conference produced six-page final declaration that SANTAC hopes to present to respective ministerial-level representatives later in the year. Johnson