AFRICA COMMAND DCMA COORDINATES WITH PORTUGUESE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LISBON 002698

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2018
TAGS: MARR MOPS PGOV PREL XA PO
SUBJECT: AFRICA COMMAND DCMA COORDINATES WITH PORTUGUESE
CIVIL AUTHORITIES

REF: LISBON 1726

Classified By: DEPUTY POL/ECON COUNSELOR TROY FITRELL FOR REASONS 1.4 (
b, d)


1. (U) Summary: Africa Command DCMA Amb. Yates conducted
meetings with civilian interlocutors in Lisbon November 4 to
develop potential partnerships, particularly in Lusophone
Africa. Representatives from the Ministries of Interior and
Justice lauded existing trilateral cooperation with the US in
Lusophone Africa and suggested regular meetings with the
Africa Command to coordinate plans and develop additional
cooperative efforts. The MOJ specifically asked for
assistance to follow up with the FBI regarding the
acquisition of the FBI,s DNA information-sharing database.
MFA interlocutors said Portugal had pressed EU Foreign
Ministers to cite cooperation in Africa in their letter to
the new US President regarding transatlantic cooperation.
The Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries agreed to
explore the idea of inviting Africa Command as an observer to
command exercises and field exercises held in alternate years
and to send CPLP representatives to US-led exercises. End
summary.


2. (U) US Africa Command Deputy to the Commander for
Civil-Military Activities (DCMA) Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates
met with Lisbon-based civilian interlocutors November 4 at
the Portuguese Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, and
Justice, as well as with the Community of Portuguese-speaking
Countries (CPLP) Secretariat and the Ambassadors of CPLP,s
African members. The DCMA's visit was designed both to
sensitize her interlocutors to the realities of the new
command and to establish groundwork for future partnerships,
particularly in Lusophone Africa. Meetings with Defense
interlocutors will be reported separately.


3. (C) Minister of Interior Rui Pereira assembled his senior
team, including police, national guard, civil protection, and
the Lusophone security cooperation secretariat. Pereira said
the EU's Justice and Home Affairs meeting on Guinea-Bissau
had specifically cited the need to cooperate with the US on
the development of institutions in that country. Pereira and
his staff praised an exceptional trilateral cooperation
program with the U.S. that concluded three days earlier in
Mozambique. The Department's INL Bureau funded training of
Mozambique's border guards, using Portuguese Ministry of
Interior trainers. Pereira and his staff, initially unclear
about how Africa Command could work with civilian law
enforcement agencies, were pleased to hear that similar
future trilateral programs were possible with Africa Command
funding. Interior's international efforts are focused on
immigration/border control, public security, and disaster
relief. Pereira suggested that Africa Command and Portugal's
civilian security ministries (Interior and Justice) meet
regularly to coordinate plans and develop cooperation
programs.


4. (C) Ministry of Justice (MOJ) officials provided briefings
on counternarcotics and counterterrorism efforts in West
Africa, particularly in Guinea-Bissau. Deputy Minister of
Justice Jose Conde Rodrigues stressed the Guinea-Bissau
action plan in great detail, advocating institutional
development there. He expressed specific gratitude to Africa
Command for already having funded a trilateral program in
which the command paid for MOJ prosecutors and investigators
to train their counterparts in Cape Verde, a primary
transshipment point for South American narcotics en route to
Europe. MOJ officials also wish to acquire the FBI's DNA
information-sharing database and asked the Embassy for
follow-up with the FBI. The MOJ is also helping establish
forensic science services in Angola and Cape Verde, for which
this database would also be useful.


5. (C) MFA Political Director Nuno Brito related that EU
Foreign Ministers had the previous day approved a letter to
the new US President regarding transatlantic cooperation.
Brito said Portugal pushed to have the letter specifically
mention cooperation in Africa. He made a particularly strong
statement that Guinea-Bissau should be a priority for anyone
interested in African security issues. He referred to
efforts by Portugal, the EU, and UNODC to help shore up the
government, lest Guinea-Bissau become entirely controlled by
narcotraffickers. Brito suggested that elections in
Guinea-Bissau this month will provide an indicator of the
types of assistance that will be most effective there. MFA

LISBON 00002698 002 OF 002


interlocutors appreciated the briefing on the unique
structure of Africa Command, noting that it was relevant to
the current threats of organized crime, counternarcotics,
migration, and pandemics. Brito said regularized staff talks
between Africa Command and Portuguese institutions could be
discussed under the Bilateral Commission structures and added
that the NATO Joint Command based in Lisbon had great
potential for the Africa Command's purposes.


6. (C) The CPLP Secretariat staff, led by Secretary General
Helder Vaz Lopes, provided briefings on defense cooperation
within the Lusophone community, including the proposed
establishment of "centers of excellence" focused on specific
military tasks such as peacekeeping operations. The CPLP
also referred to command exercises and field exercises in
alternate years and agreed to explore the idea of inviting
Africa Command observers. Amb. Yates offered CPLP the
opportunity to send observers to the Flintlock exercise in
Rota, Spain this month. CPLP ambassadors representing
African states provided extensive detail in advance of the
DCMA's upcoming visits to their countries.

Comment
--------------

7. (C) This visit went a long way to clarify understanding of
Africa Command's structure and mission. That alone would
have made the visit worthwhile, but the call from the
Ministries of Justice and Interior to establish formal
contacts with Africa Command to coordinate plans and deepen
the already successful trilateral cooperation was extremely
welcome. Although the Ministry of Defense has not found a
way to respond to proposals for cooperative action in a
timely manner, Justice and Interior have been far more
proactive. Each of these ministries, however, serve
political masters. Portuguese elections in Autumn 2009 will
offer insight into the Portuguese government's desire to
cooperate with the US. The belief, expressed by all of our
Portuguese interlocutors, that Guinea-Bissau should be a
priority for us was telling. We took this message on board,
that US national interests might be better served by direct
engagement with Guinea-Bissau and this may be something we
can address trilaterally with Portugal. We suggest that
addressees begin to consider how we can best address the
security challenges in that troubled country.


8. (U) DCMA Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates cleared this cable.
STEPHENSON