Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07YAOUNDE1116
2007-09-12 11:34:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Yaounde
Cable title:
FORMER CANADIAN PM ON CONGO BASIN VISIT, ENDS UP
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YAOUNDE 001116
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE ALSO FOR OES ELLEN SHAW
KINSHASA FOR JOHN FLYNN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EAID KCOR ECON CM
SUBJECT: FORMER CANADIAN PM ON CONGO BASIN VISIT, ENDS UP
TALKING CORRUPTION, GOVERNANCE
REF: YAOUNDE 1071
YAOUNDE 00001116 001.2 OF 002
MARKED PARAGRAPHS ARE SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED (SBU). NOT
FOR DISTRIBUTION OUTSIDE THE USG.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YAOUNDE 001116
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE ALSO FOR OES ELLEN SHAW
KINSHASA FOR JOHN FLYNN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EAID KCOR ECON CM
SUBJECT: FORMER CANADIAN PM ON CONGO BASIN VISIT, ENDS UP
TALKING CORRUPTION, GOVERNANCE
REF: YAOUNDE 1071
YAOUNDE 00001116 001.2 OF 002
MARKED PARAGRAPHS ARE SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED (SBU). NOT
FOR DISTRIBUTION OUTSIDE THE USG.
1. (SBU) Summary. Former Canadian Prime Minister Paul
Martin visited Cameroon September 9-12 on a familiarization
trip in his new role as a co-chair (with Kenyan Minister and
Noble Laureate Wangari Maathai) of the Congo Basin Forest
Partnership (CBFP). In a meeting where donor representatives
told him millions of dollars in aid were already going to the
forestry sector and decried a system wracked by corruption,
Martin concluded: "We will not do this within the existing
structures (of forestry concessions). If Cameroon will not
reform the system, we will skip Cameroon and focus on the
Democratic Republic of the Congo." Martin said he would seek
to contact senior leadership in Washington, mentioning
specifically National Security Advisor Hadley, to advocate a
greater U.S. role in the initiative. End Summary.
2. (U) Explaining that UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown asked
him to co-chair the CBFP and guide the allocation of about
$100 million in UK assistance to the project, Martin said his
first visit to the region was aimed at meeting the Government
of Cameroon (GRC) officials, private companies, communities,
NGOs, and donors involved in the forestry sector. In a
September 11 meeting with representatives from the donor
community, Martin made two points regarding the CBFP: first,
that the international community is prepared to pay in order
to protect "one of the world's two biggest lungs, but not to
enrich a select few within these countries"; and second, that
an anticipated change (with a new administration of either
party) in the U.S. position on global warming will trigger
the installation of carbon trading schemes and unleash untold
resources on the region. If these resources come to the
region under the current governance regimes, Martin
predicted, small groups of people would make vast fortunes,
but the people of the Congo Basin would not benefit.
3. (SBU) Accusing the GRC of mismanaging the financial
windfall from debt relief and citing the GRC's Forestry and
Wildlife Minister's recent estimate that more than $100
million in forestry revenues has been foregone because of
corruption and bad governance (reftel),the German Ambassador
asked why donors should "replace" the money mismanaged by the
GRC. The Canadian High Commissioner agreed, arguing that
donors bear some blame for continuing to underwrite the
current forestry structures despite the persistence of
blatant mismanagement and malfeasance. More than money, he
argued, donors need to apply "constant, serious political
pressure" for an overhaul of the system. The Italian
Ambassador explained that although Italy provides negligible
assistance to the sector, Italian logging companies are
heavily implicated, and that the buy-in of the private sector
will be critical for any reform effort. The French,
Canadian, German and Italian Ambassadors and former PM Martin
expressed agreement that the current system of logging
concessions lies at the heart of the problems of corruption
and bad governance.
4. (SBU) In concluding the discussion, Martin said he did
not "want to be the subject of a UK Parliamentary inquiry in
the year 2020 asking me where all this money went. We will
not do this within the existing structures (of forestry
concessions). If Cameroon will not reform the system, we
will skip Cameroon and focus on the Democratic Republic of
the Congo."
5. (SBU) After the discussion, Martin stressed to us that
high-level USG engagement was critical to the success of the
CBFP. Martin said he would seek to contact senior leadership
in Washington, mentioning specifically National Security
Advisor Hadley, to advocate a greater U.S. role in the
initiative.
YAOUNDE 00001116 002.2 OF 002
NELSON
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE ALSO FOR OES ELLEN SHAW
KINSHASA FOR JOHN FLYNN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EAID KCOR ECON CM
SUBJECT: FORMER CANADIAN PM ON CONGO BASIN VISIT, ENDS UP
TALKING CORRUPTION, GOVERNANCE
REF: YAOUNDE 1071
YAOUNDE 00001116 001.2 OF 002
MARKED PARAGRAPHS ARE SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED (SBU). NOT
FOR DISTRIBUTION OUTSIDE THE USG.
1. (SBU) Summary. Former Canadian Prime Minister Paul
Martin visited Cameroon September 9-12 on a familiarization
trip in his new role as a co-chair (with Kenyan Minister and
Noble Laureate Wangari Maathai) of the Congo Basin Forest
Partnership (CBFP). In a meeting where donor representatives
told him millions of dollars in aid were already going to the
forestry sector and decried a system wracked by corruption,
Martin concluded: "We will not do this within the existing
structures (of forestry concessions). If Cameroon will not
reform the system, we will skip Cameroon and focus on the
Democratic Republic of the Congo." Martin said he would seek
to contact senior leadership in Washington, mentioning
specifically National Security Advisor Hadley, to advocate a
greater U.S. role in the initiative. End Summary.
2. (U) Explaining that UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown asked
him to co-chair the CBFP and guide the allocation of about
$100 million in UK assistance to the project, Martin said his
first visit to the region was aimed at meeting the Government
of Cameroon (GRC) officials, private companies, communities,
NGOs, and donors involved in the forestry sector. In a
September 11 meeting with representatives from the donor
community, Martin made two points regarding the CBFP: first,
that the international community is prepared to pay in order
to protect "one of the world's two biggest lungs, but not to
enrich a select few within these countries"; and second, that
an anticipated change (with a new administration of either
party) in the U.S. position on global warming will trigger
the installation of carbon trading schemes and unleash untold
resources on the region. If these resources come to the
region under the current governance regimes, Martin
predicted, small groups of people would make vast fortunes,
but the people of the Congo Basin would not benefit.
3. (SBU) Accusing the GRC of mismanaging the financial
windfall from debt relief and citing the GRC's Forestry and
Wildlife Minister's recent estimate that more than $100
million in forestry revenues has been foregone because of
corruption and bad governance (reftel),the German Ambassador
asked why donors should "replace" the money mismanaged by the
GRC. The Canadian High Commissioner agreed, arguing that
donors bear some blame for continuing to underwrite the
current forestry structures despite the persistence of
blatant mismanagement and malfeasance. More than money, he
argued, donors need to apply "constant, serious political
pressure" for an overhaul of the system. The Italian
Ambassador explained that although Italy provides negligible
assistance to the sector, Italian logging companies are
heavily implicated, and that the buy-in of the private sector
will be critical for any reform effort. The French,
Canadian, German and Italian Ambassadors and former PM Martin
expressed agreement that the current system of logging
concessions lies at the heart of the problems of corruption
and bad governance.
4. (SBU) In concluding the discussion, Martin said he did
not "want to be the subject of a UK Parliamentary inquiry in
the year 2020 asking me where all this money went. We will
not do this within the existing structures (of forestry
concessions). If Cameroon will not reform the system, we
will skip Cameroon and focus on the Democratic Republic of
the Congo."
5. (SBU) After the discussion, Martin stressed to us that
high-level USG engagement was critical to the success of the
CBFP. Martin said he would seek to contact senior leadership
in Washington, mentioning specifically National Security
Advisor Hadley, to advocate a greater U.S. role in the
initiative.
YAOUNDE 00001116 002.2 OF 002
NELSON