ANGOLA RENEWS REQUEST FOR U.S. TREASURY TECHNICAL

UNCLAS LUANDA 000386 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIN EAID ECON PREL AO SUBJECT: ANGOLA RENEWS REQUEST FOR U.S. TREASURY TECHNICAL ADVISOR REF: A) LUANDA 300 B) LUANDA 249 C) LUANDA 231 D) LUANDA 137 ¶1. Key leaders of Angola's economic team, including the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Industry, the National Treasury Director, and the Governor and Vice Governor of the Central Bank have each recently made direct appeals to the Ambassador for the placement of a U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Technical Assistance (OTA) Resident Advisor within Angola's Ministry of Finance. ¶2. In 2007, Angola accepted the U.S. offer to place an OTA advisor with the Central Bank under an arrangement that included GRA support for housing and transportation and USAID funding for the initial months, including other expenses for the Resident Advisor. Unfortunately, the Resident Advisor was not placed. ¶3. We support Angola's renewed request for the immediate placement of at least one OTA Resident Advisor in Luanda. Angola is clearly demonstrating a steady commitment to improving its fiscal accounting systems and the transparency of its budget process. We find the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank are among the most accessible GRA institutions the Mission, and the Ambassador and Embassy staff has met with the Minister of Finance, his Vice Ministers as well as the Central Bank chief and deputy on several occasions in 2008. Without exception, the issue of the placement of an OTA Resident Advisor was raised during the course of each meeting. ¶4. There is still much work to be done in Angola - but the Angolans recognize this and understand their own limitations in dealing with the difficult issues that remain. The placement of at least one OTA Resident Advisor would allow us to most effectively respond to their request for assistance in an area of strategic importance to our bilateral economic relationship. ¶5. We strongly urge interested USG agencies to support Angola's request. FERNANDEZ