EMBASSY MUSCAT NOMINATION OF BRIAN GRIMM FOR HERBERT

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000333

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR EEB ASSISTANT SECRETARY DANIEL SULLIVAN FROM AMBASSADOR GARY A.
GRAPPO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: APER AMGT ECON BEXP ETRD MU
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MUSCAT NOMINATION OF BRIAN GRIMM FOR HERBERT
SALZMAN AWARD

REF: A) STATE 18732 B) MUSCAT 310


1. Economic/Commercial Officer Brian Grimm significantly advanced
U.S. policy and objectives in the economic field over the last year.
His outstanding work on the Free Trade Agreement deserves the
highest praise. In conjunction with his other accomplishments, I am
pleased to nominate Brian for the 2008 Herbert Salzman Award for
Excellence in International Economic Performance.


2. Free trade agreements between the U.S. and other countries serve
as powerful catalysts for economic growth and development, both at
home and abroad. At the end of September 2006, President Bush
signed the landmark U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement (FTA),which has
since brought sweeping changes to Oman's business and legal
environment. Now ratified, implementation and promotion of the FTA
is central to showcase the benefits of open trade and economic
reform in the volatile Arab world. No single Foreign Service
Officer has done more to accomplish this important goal than Brian
Grimm. Moreover, no FTA implementation process has faced so many
hurdles and pitfalls as this one.


3. As Embassy Muscat's sole Economic/Commercial officer and point
person on all FTA issues, Brian has worked tirelessly to guide the
Agreement through the arduous implementation process. He has
liaised closely on an almost daily basis with the U.S. Trade
Representative Office (USTR) and the Omani government to provide
both with expert advice and to facilitate negotiations on a wide
range of issues concerning customs administration, intellectual
property, telecommunications, government procurement, and
transparency, among others. After initially moving ahead in
developing FTA-compliant regulations, the Omani government
eventually lost its way, becoming frustrated with what was viewed as
unreasonable U.S. demands. While keeping USTR and other relevant
agencies informed of his activities, Brian used his extensive
knowledge of the Omani bureaucracy and local economic concerns to
intervene with Omani officials, who had grown to strongly respect
and trust him. Thanks to Brian, tempers were calmed, expectations
were clarified, and the Omani government was persuaded to renew
cooperation.


4. Brian subsequently proposed and also arranged for a one-week
visit by a well-regarded trade consultant (and former U.S.
ambassador) to help put Oman back on track towards FTA
implementation. To maximize her effectiveness, Brian briefed the
consultant on the status of each outstanding item, identified
pertinent Omani regulatory hurdles, outlined the biases of her Omani
interlocutors, and subsequently assisted her with drafting
appropriate remedies. Working closely together, they then convinced
the Omanis to implement the proposed remedies to meet FTA standards.
As a result, the visit became a watershed event and earned Brian
praise from me, USTR, and the usually pessimistic Minister of
Commerce and Industry.


5. To sustain the positive momentum on the FTA that he generated,
Brian kept influential stakeholders, including officials in both the
U.S. and Omani governments, well-informed about progress on
remaining issues. As part of this effort, he developed an
abbreviated checklist, which he updated regularly, that concisely
described the status of every action item. This list also focused
attention on major sticking points, such as Oman's fear that the
FTA's strong intellectual property protections would impede its
ability to obtain needed pharmaceutical products. Working closely
with USTR and industry representatives, Brian overcame this obstacle
by convincing his counterpart at the Ministry of Health that Oman's
concerns could be met without infringing upon the rights of U.S.
pharmaceutical companies.


6. Oman's ability to develop FTA-compliant telecommunications
licensing criteria has presented another significant obstacle to FTA
implementation. Using key contacts that he developed in this
sector, Brian learned that Omani telecommunications regulators - who
favored more competition - were constrained by a finance ministry
that wanted to sell off a major portion of the government's
fixed-line monopoly carrier before allowing liberalization to occur.
With this information, Brian advised me of the situation. I was
then able to enlist a commitment from the highest levels of the
government to resolve the impasse.


7. Anticipation of the FTA's implementation has generated
significant attention among Oman's business leaders. To help open
the doors for trade and investment opportunities afforded by the
FTA, Brian orchestrated a visit by Oman's investment promotion chief
to Washington, where he met with both public and private sector
officials to publicize the benefits of doing business in Oman.
Brian persuaded a U.S. trade delegation to add Muscat to its Middle
East itinerary, which allowed him to bring prominent Omani companies
together with U.S. counterparts to explore investment and commercial
opportunities. These efforts followed-up on the very successful FTA
Awareness Conference that Brian had earlier brought to fruition in
Muscat that included participation of notable government and private

industry officials from both the U.S. and Oman, including the
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the region.


8. In conjunction with his outstanding work on the FTA, Brian has
been extremely active and productive in both promoting economic
reforms that reflect U.S. policies and economic reporting
priorities. Regarding the former, Brian has directed funds from the
State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) to move
Oman further towards free and open markets. For example,
recognizing a deficiency in the way Omani customs authorities
inspect and admit goods, Brian secured a MEPI commitment to hold
workshops on innovative customs concepts. Similarly, after
identifying weaknesses in the Omani government's ability to deter
counterfeit goods crossing its borders and to stop satellite
broadcast piracy, Brian worked with MEPI to deliver training
programs addressing these areas. He also has been the driving force
behind multiple intellectual property rights workshops for judges,
government officials and private businesses. As a result of these
efforts, the commercial rights of U.S. companies have been
strengthened and Oman is better prepared to implement its FTA
obligations.


9. Brian's written reports cover a broad range of economic
subjects, but share a defining feature - uniform excellence in both
style and content. In addition to his outstanding work in producing
mandated documents such as the Country Commercial Guide and National
Trade Estimate, Brian generates a steady stream of analytical
reports on issues of high interest to Washington readers. His
reporting, for example, has focused on the Omani government's
commitment to retain its currency peg to the U.S. dollar, attempts
to increase oil and gas production levels, and Oman's push to
diversify its economy through industrialization and development
projects (including those that offer significant opportunities for
U.S. businesses). Most of Brian's noteworthy reporting contain
classified paragraphs - which reflects his excellent access to
confidential sources - but his recent unclassified cable on the

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impact of rising food and commodity prices, and the government's
response to it, provides an accessible example of Brian's superb
writing and analytical skills (Muscat 310).


10. Based on Brian's accomplishments outlined above, I strongly
recommend Brian Grimm for the 2008 Salzman Award for Excellence in
International Economic Performance. His performance and output as
Post's sole Economic and Commercial Officer were equal to those of a
multi-officer economic section at most other posts. Brian's
initiative, determination, and command of the diverse range of
economic issues of importance to the USG were the major contributing
factor to this Post's success on economic and commercial priorities.
Embassy Muscat also proposes the following award citation: For
outstanding contributions to the implementation of the landmark
U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement, and for sustained excellence in
promoting economic reforms in support of U.S. policies and in
reporting on economic issues.
GRAPPO