Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08COTONOU337
2008-06-13 13:37:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Cotonou
Cable title:  

BENIN WRAP-UP MAY 31 - JUNE 13, 2008

Tags:  BN CVIS EAID ENRG EWWT MASS OPRC PGOV 
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VZCZCXRO8697
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHCO #0337/01 1651337
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131337Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0369
INFO RUEHLMC/MILLENIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHDC
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1434
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0346
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1275
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COTONOU 000337 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W DANA BANKS, CA/VO MICHELLE URBANCIC, CA/FPP
DAKAR FOR FCS STEPHEN MORRISON
LONDON FOR PETER LORD
PARIS FOR FCS BILL CRAWFORD

E.O.12958:N/A
TAGS: PGOVENRGCVISMASSEAIDOPRCEWWTBN
SUBJECT: BENIN WRAP-UP MAY 31 - JUNE 13, 2008

COTONOU 00000337 001.2 OF 003

REF:
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COTONOU 000337

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W DANA BANKS, CA/VO MICHELLE URBANCIC, CA/FPP
DAKAR FOR FCS STEPHEN MORRISON
LONDON FOR PETER LORD
PARIS FOR FCS BILL CRAWFORD

E.O.12958:N/A
TAGS: PGOVENRGCVISMASSEAIDOPRCEWWTBN
SUBJECT: BENIN WRAP-UP MAY 31 - JUNE 13, 2008

COTONOU 00000337 001.2 OF 003

REF:

1.(U) This cable is a bi-weekly summary of events which occurred in
Benin between May 31 and June 13. Comments for improvements from
readers are welcome. Please direct them to Pol/Econ Officer Jason
Hahn at hahnje@state.gov.

2.(U) Contents:

-- CEN-SAD Summit in Cotonou June 12 - 18
-- Protests Mar Inaugurations of New Municipal Councils
-- West African Gas Pipeline Construction in Benin Stalls
-- PAO Hosts Conferences on U.S. Political System
-- USAID Launches Girls Education Project
-- Moving Rocks May Pose Problem for MCC's Program at Port
-- Embassy Finds Increase in Fraudulent Visa Applications
-- GOB agrees to host Peace Corps anniversary celebration
-- Peacekeepers complete ACOTA training for DRC Deployment

--------------
CEN-SAD Summit in Cotonou June 12-18
--------------


3. The Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) Summit began in
Cotonou on June 12 with experts meetings. The summit's theme is
"Rural Development and Food Security". Presidents and Prime
Ministers will arrive for the high level meetings on June 16 and
depart on June 18. Approximately half of CEN-SAD's 25 heads of
state have confirmed their attendance at the summit.

-------------- --------------
Protests Mar Inaugurations of New Municipal Councils
-------------- --------------


4. Following the April 20 and May 1 local and municipal elections,
prefects (high-ranking civil servants who represent the State at the
departmental level) installed 53 out of 77 municipal councils.
Protests, some turning violent, prevented the prefects from
installing the councils in the remaining 24 communes and cities. The
protesters dispute the final election results released by the
National Independent Electoral Commission (CENA) which differ in
some cities from the results recorded by political parties when the
ballots were counted immediately after the election. The protestors
demand that the Supreme Court rule on pending election appeals
before the prefects install the new councilors and mayors. In
response, the government asked political parties to calm their
partisans and put an inter-ministerial committee in place to defuse
the crisis. In Cotonou, where the city council was installed
uneventfully, 48 of 49 councilors voted to renew former president
and Renaissance of Benin party leader Nicephore Soglo's mandate as

Cotonou's mayor.

-------------- --------------
West African Gas Pipeline Construction in Benin Stalls
-------------- --------------


5. Construction of Benin's on-shore natural gas pipeline which links
the sub-marine West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) to the on-shore
metering station has been at a standstill since January 2008.
According to Maxime Semassoussi at the Ministry of Mines, Energy,
and Water, Willbros, the contractor performing the work, abandoned
the project after the West Africa Gas Pipeline Company, WAGPCo, did
not agree to an increase in the initially agreed upon price for
completion of the contract. As a result WAGPCo terminated its
contract with Willbros in February 2008. According to Semassoussi,
WAGPCo issued a new invitation for tenders to select a new
contractor to complete the construction. Willbros submitted a bid
in the new tender. WAGPCo expects construction work to resume in
July 2008 and finish in the first quarter of 2009.

-------------- -
PAO Hosts Conferences on U.S. Political System
-------------- -


6. The Public Affairs Section hosted a week-long series of
conferences with Dr. Sheldon Gellar, a Political Scientist, Research
Associate and Independent International Development Consultant from
Indiana University, who engaged Beninese audiences in discussions on
the U.S. political system. The conferences stimulated dialogue
comparing the Beninese political practices and received wide-spread
media coverage. The program consisted of a series of lectures and
discussions that were held at the American Cultural Center, at the
National Teacher's Training School in Porto-Novo, and at the
Universities of Abomey-Calvi and Parakou. Dr. Gellar spoke on the

COTONOU 00000337 002.2 OF 003


U.S. election process, electoral issues, U.S constitutional
provisions regarding the separation of powers, U.S aspects of
grassroots democracy; citizens' role, responsibility and involvement
in the political process; the role, place and utility of the civil
society, the role of religious leaders in democracy, women in
politics; corruption, good governance; and shifting trends in the
financing of political parties and campaigns.

--------------
USAID Launches Girls Education Project
--------------


7. The USAID funded Girl's Education and Community Participation
Project was officially launched in Parakou on June 12, 2008.
Activities under this USD 5 million 4-year grant to World Education
will assist the Government of Benin to improve quality, increase
access and expand community participation in the education sector.
Activities will build on the successes of previous USG supported
projects and contribute to the following results: increased access
to and improved performance of girls in school in targeted areas;
improved community contribution to transparent management of the
education system; and improved response to HIV/AIDS in the basic
education sector.

-------------- --------------
Moving Rocks May Pose Problem for MCC's Program at Port
-------------- --------------


8. Millennium Challenge Account-Benin (MCA-Benin) held its first
validation workshop for the environmental studies related to
construction at Cotonou's port. Participants responded vigorously
when told that forty trucks a day for 18 months will be required to
bring rock to the port for the new wharf. This heavy traffic will
need to come over the quickly deteriorating road between Bohicon and
Abomey-Calvi and then through the city of Cotonou. In addition,
transport of many times this much rock is anticipated for a large
scale project to combat coastal erosion (not funded by MCA-Benin)
which is planned for construction at the same time. MCA-Benin is
asking its consultant to provide a detailed analysis of the
cumulative impact of the Compact port construction activities and,
despite its current decrepit condition, to evaluate the feasibility
of partial use of the rail line which connects Cotonou with northern
Benin. MCA-Benin is offering detailed briefings to potential
bidders on the port construction project in Paris the week of June

23.

-------------- --------------
Embassy Finds Increase in Fraudulent Visa Applications
-------------- --------------


9. The consular section has seen a trend in fraudulent NIV
applications in the last month. The section discovered seven
dubious cases in which a couple applied for tourist visas to
vacation in the United States. Generally, the husband was allegedly
the owner of a fair-sized business and would normally already have
traveled to the Schengen countries, while the wife would have no
travel out of the region. Three impostors who had previously
applied under different names at nearby posts were discovered by
biometric systems. One additional couple was discovered by the RSO
when they were acting suspiciously while in line and when
confronted, fled the scene. Three additional couples were
discovered when they presented fake bank statements from an
imaginary microcredit organization, PAFME. Conoff suspects other
couples applying are attempts at this fraud, but without additional
evidence, they have been refused under section 214(b).

-------------- --------------
GOB agrees to host Peace Corps anniversary celebration
-------------- --------------


10. On June 6, the GOB informed Peace Corps Benin that in
celebration of Peace Corps Benin's 40th anniversary later this year,
the GOB will finance a television documentary on Peace Corps
presence in Benin for nationwide distribution and allow Peace Corps
Benin free use of the Palais de Congres conference center to hold
the anniversary events. Peace Corps has been operational in Benin
since 1968, and will celebrate its 40th anniversary on September 5,

2008.

-------------- --------------
Peacekeepers complete ACOTA training for DRC Deployment
-------------- --------------


11. On Friday, June 6, 2008, 700 Beninese soldiers deploying in

COTONOU 00000337 003.2 OF 003


support of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo (MONUC) completed their training. Northrop Grumman
contractors and U.S. Marine Corps elements provided the training and
acted as mentors. At the end of the training, U.S. instructors
expressed the need for the ACOTA program to continue with a
substantial American presence, as the Beninese Armed Forces are not
ready to assume full training responsibilities. Three containers of
ACOTA provided military equipment arrived in the Port of Cotonou on
June 11. The equipment includes Kevlar helmets and night vision
equipment destined for Beninese peacekeeping forces.

BOUSTANI