Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08LISBON1726
2008-07-18 10:49:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Lisbon
Cable title:
PORTUGUESE MOJ GOALS ON GUINEA-BISSAU, A CRY FOR
how-toVZCZCXRO0684 RR RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHPA RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHLI #1726 2001049 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 181049Z JUL 08 FM AMEMBASSY LISBON TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6937 INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
C O N F I D E N T I A L LISBON 001726
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2016
TAGS: SNAR EAID PGOV PREL PU PO
SUBJECT: PORTUGUESE MOJ GOALS ON GUINEA-BISSAU, A CRY FOR
HELP
Classified By: POL CHIEF TROY FITRELL, REASONS 1.4 (B,D)
C O N F I D E N T I A L LISBON 001726
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2016
TAGS: SNAR EAID PGOV PREL PU PO
SUBJECT: PORTUGUESE MOJ GOALS ON GUINEA-BISSAU, A CRY FOR
HELP
Classified By: POL CHIEF TROY FITRELL, REASONS 1.4 (B,D)
1. (C) Summary. The Portuguese MOJ recommends three
immediate projects to aid rule of law efforts in
Guinea-Bissau. Recognizing the difficulty of operating with
the host government and frustrated with the pace of
decision-making in the U.N., MOJ officials asked us to share
the MOJ's views with interested parties within the USG. In
short, the MOJ recommends a new prison, a renovated judicial
police building, and a linked civil register, national
identification card, and criminal records database. End
summary.
2. (C) Portuguese Ministry of Justice Director of
International Programs Miguel Romao briefed us on his
opinions regarding rule of law efforts in Guinea-Bissau.
Romao said Portugal was extremely frustrated with U.N. Office
on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) efforts, suggesting that UNODC
concentrates on its own infrastructure and not on helping the
Government of Guinea-Bissau.
3. (C) Romao also expressed frustration with the limitations
)- primarily financial )- on the efforts of his own office.
For this reason, he shared with us the top three projects he
wished to see occur. While openly asking for U.S. trilateral
cooperation to fund these projects, Romao also requested U.S.
support in discussions within the U.N. and other fora.
4. (C) Romao spoke highly of the Guinea-Bissau Minister of
Justice Carmelita Rodrigues Pires, but noted that upcoming
elections in Guinea-Bissau might see the end of her tenure
due to rivalries with more powerful ministers. Romao added
that he himself had submitted his resignation to the
Portuguese Ministry of Justice in order to return to his
University of Lisbon Law School professorship (where
Rodrigues Pires had been a student). He hoped that the three
projects described below would gain traction regardless of
who was involved in the project on the Lisbon or Bissau side.
5. (C) First, Romao advocated the construction of a prison.
With no facility to incarcerate prisoners, Romao felt it
useless to continue training police, prosecutors, and judges.
The construction of a prison was highlighted in the UNODC
action plan for Guinea-Bissau presented at a Lisbon pledging
conference on December 12, 2007, but no donor or actor has
picked up the project. Romao said the Portuguese MOJ was
ready to conduct training for prison administrators and
guards, including using Portugal's prison guard training
center and having the Guinean guards intern in Portugal's
prisons, as well as deploying Portuguese guards to
Guinea-Bissau as they have in Timor Leste. UNODC estimates
this construction project at 2.5 million euros.
6. (C) Second, and similar to the first, Romao advocated the
renovation of the Judicial Police (PJ) building in Bissau.
He said the Government of Guinea-Bissau (GOGB) had rented a
building for the PJ but that it was not yet fit for
occupancy. Among the Government of Portugal (GOP) rule of
law officials in Bissau, there is a Portuguese PJ official
integrated in the Guinea-Bissau PJ as an advisor. The GOP
estimates this renovation project at 250,000 euros.
7. (C) Third, Romao advocated the development of a Civil
Register alongside a national identification card. The
existing national identification card was provided on a
for-profit basis by a Belgian company and was not tied to any
civil register. Romao said Minister Rodrigues Pires
cancelled the contract with the Belgian company as each card
cost the equivalent of three weeks salary for the average
citizen. Romao suggested that if a new civil register Q
implemented, a criminal records database could be attached to
it, as could voter registration efforts. The GOP estimates
the development, installation, implementation, and training
involved with a linked civil register, identification card,
and criminal records database would be 3 million euros.
Comment
--------------
8. (C) While we are skeptical about the idea of spending any
money on the GOBG under current circumstances, we stand ready
to work here in Lisbon to advance any of these projects
should other addressees be interested in supporting them.
Ballard
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2016
TAGS: SNAR EAID PGOV PREL PU PO
SUBJECT: PORTUGUESE MOJ GOALS ON GUINEA-BISSAU, A CRY FOR
HELP
Classified By: POL CHIEF TROY FITRELL, REASONS 1.4 (B,D)
1. (C) Summary. The Portuguese MOJ recommends three
immediate projects to aid rule of law efforts in
Guinea-Bissau. Recognizing the difficulty of operating with
the host government and frustrated with the pace of
decision-making in the U.N., MOJ officials asked us to share
the MOJ's views with interested parties within the USG. In
short, the MOJ recommends a new prison, a renovated judicial
police building, and a linked civil register, national
identification card, and criminal records database. End
summary.
2. (C) Portuguese Ministry of Justice Director of
International Programs Miguel Romao briefed us on his
opinions regarding rule of law efforts in Guinea-Bissau.
Romao said Portugal was extremely frustrated with U.N. Office
on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) efforts, suggesting that UNODC
concentrates on its own infrastructure and not on helping the
Government of Guinea-Bissau.
3. (C) Romao also expressed frustration with the limitations
)- primarily financial )- on the efforts of his own office.
For this reason, he shared with us the top three projects he
wished to see occur. While openly asking for U.S. trilateral
cooperation to fund these projects, Romao also requested U.S.
support in discussions within the U.N. and other fora.
4. (C) Romao spoke highly of the Guinea-Bissau Minister of
Justice Carmelita Rodrigues Pires, but noted that upcoming
elections in Guinea-Bissau might see the end of her tenure
due to rivalries with more powerful ministers. Romao added
that he himself had submitted his resignation to the
Portuguese Ministry of Justice in order to return to his
University of Lisbon Law School professorship (where
Rodrigues Pires had been a student). He hoped that the three
projects described below would gain traction regardless of
who was involved in the project on the Lisbon or Bissau side.
5. (C) First, Romao advocated the construction of a prison.
With no facility to incarcerate prisoners, Romao felt it
useless to continue training police, prosecutors, and judges.
The construction of a prison was highlighted in the UNODC
action plan for Guinea-Bissau presented at a Lisbon pledging
conference on December 12, 2007, but no donor or actor has
picked up the project. Romao said the Portuguese MOJ was
ready to conduct training for prison administrators and
guards, including using Portugal's prison guard training
center and having the Guinean guards intern in Portugal's
prisons, as well as deploying Portuguese guards to
Guinea-Bissau as they have in Timor Leste. UNODC estimates
this construction project at 2.5 million euros.
6. (C) Second, and similar to the first, Romao advocated the
renovation of the Judicial Police (PJ) building in Bissau.
He said the Government of Guinea-Bissau (GOGB) had rented a
building for the PJ but that it was not yet fit for
occupancy. Among the Government of Portugal (GOP) rule of
law officials in Bissau, there is a Portuguese PJ official
integrated in the Guinea-Bissau PJ as an advisor. The GOP
estimates this renovation project at 250,000 euros.
7. (C) Third, Romao advocated the development of a Civil
Register alongside a national identification card. The
existing national identification card was provided on a
for-profit basis by a Belgian company and was not tied to any
civil register. Romao said Minister Rodrigues Pires
cancelled the contract with the Belgian company as each card
cost the equivalent of three weeks salary for the average
citizen. Romao suggested that if a new civil register Q
implemented, a criminal records database could be attached to
it, as could voter registration efforts. The GOP estimates
the development, installation, implementation, and training
involved with a linked civil register, identification card,
and criminal records database would be 3 million euros.
Comment
--------------
8. (C) While we are skeptical about the idea of spending any
money on the GOBG under current circumstances, we stand ready
to work here in Lisbon to advance any of these projects
should other addressees be interested in supporting them.
Ballard