NEW FOREIGN MINISTER--"DUTY TO STRENGTHEN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MAPUTO 000323 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON ETRD KDEM AMGT EAID MZ SUBJECT: NEW FOREIGN MINISTER--"DUTY TO STRENGTHEN BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP" REF: A. A. MAPUTO 321 ¶B. B. MAPUTO 220 ¶C. C. MAPUTO 241 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In an introductory call by the Charge, new Foreign Minister Oldemiro Baloi discussed Zimbabwe (ref A) and indicated his support for greater bilateral political and economic dialogue with the USG. Baloi urged for better coordination in-country among international donors. He expressed interest in resolving certain administrative issues involving the Foreign Ministry and in signing a bilateral agreement encompassing all USG assistance. FM Baloi appears to be an engaged manager who will be an agent for positive change at the Foreign Ministry; we will have opportunities with him which we did not have with his uncommunicative predecessor. END SUMMARY. -------------- - "Duty to Make Bilateral Relationship Stronger" -------------- - ¶2. (U) The Charge d'Affaires, USAID Director, and P/E Chief met with Mozambican Foreign Minister Oldemiro Baloi on April ¶15. The Charge opened noting that the bilateral relationship was strong and encompassed many areas, as reflected by the more than $325 million in bilateral assistance budgeted for Mozambique in 2008. He pointed to the successful visits in the past nine months of First Lady Laura Bush, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt, Ambassador John Danilovich from the Millennium Challenge Corporation and other USG officials, plus the several visits by Mozambique,s President Armando Guebuza and many Ministers to the United States in the same period. The FM said that the United States was a 'privileged partner' of Mozambique, and held an 'elevated position' for the GRM. He said that he took it as his "personal duty to ensure that this bilateral relationship in particular became even stronger." -------------- --- Increasing Political/Economic Bilateral Dialogue -------------- --- ¶3. (SBU) The Charge urged Baloi to have the GRM take a stronger leadership role on continental issues and in international fora, including on issues like Zimbabwe (ref A) and international peace-keeping operations. He said that the previous FM had agreed to begin a more regular bilateral dialogue (ref B) to include political and economic topics like human rights or re-energizing the existing trade and investment framework agreement (TIFA). The Charge also referred to the positive meeting between AF A/S Jendayi Frazer and Mozambican Ambassador Panguene that reinforced this point. The FM agreed, noting that in his private sector experience, business operations were 'results oriented' and that the same concept needed to be applied to the Foreign Ministry's initiatives, including the GRM,s programs with the USG. -------------- -------------- Bilateral Assistance Agreement; Other Admin Issues -------------- -------------- ¶4. (U) The Charge indicated the Embassy,s difficulties with certain administrative issues involving the Foreign Ministry. The USAID Director highlighted the increased USG assistance to Mozambique and noted the increase in the number of USG staff and contractors involved in implementation. In light of these twin factors, the USAID Director urged the FM to consider moving forward on a bilateral assistance agreement to cover all the USG's programs in Mozambique, ranging from issues of licensing, to taxes and visa issues. The FM agreed saying that he had made it very clear to his staff that he wanted them to clear these types of administrative hurdles out of the way soonest, so that the Ministry could then begin to focus on its 'core business' of diplomacy more effectively. -------------- International Donor Coordination -------------- ¶5. (U) The FM said that he was amazed by the sheer quantity of international donor assistance in Mozambique, and expressed surprise that there was not more effective communication between donors, and also between the GRM and those donors. The Charge indicated that the USG wanted to work closely with the GRM and to coordinate activities with other donors, though the current arrangements which favored donors providing direct budget support, which did not fully include the USG, were sub-optimal. The FM said he supported MAPUTO 00000323 002 OF 002 our effort to review the manner in which donors and the GRM interact. -------------- --- Comment: Change for Good at the Foreign Ministry -------------- --- ¶6. (SBU) Consistent with what contacts have told us (ref C), FM Baloi appears to be an engaged and hands-on manager who is well-qualified to provide greater dynamism to the GRM,s foreign policy apparatus. He seems determined to operate much differently than his uncommunicative predecessor, several times emphasizing his "total availability" for discussion. We anticipate opportunities to move forward more productively with him on a wide range of issues. Chapman