CAPE VERDE SUPPORTS GLOBAL MARITIME PARTNERSHIPS

UNCLAS PRAIA 000189 SIPDIS EEB/TRA/OTP FOR DORIS HAYWOOD PM/ISO FOR JEFF FREDERICK OSD FOR DAVE GRUBER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EWWT EAID ECIN ECON EFIS MARR MASS MCAP MOPS PHSA, PINS, PREL, SMIG, SENV, SNAR, ASEC, CV SUBJECT: CAPE VERDE SUPPORTS GLOBAL MARITIME PARTNERSHIPS REF: STATE 50488 ¶1. On June 16, Charge delivered reftel points to an enthusiastic audience of senior GOCV civilian and military officials. Those present who endorsed the concept included Director General (effectively Vice Minister) of Defense Pedro dos Reis Brito, Commandant of the Cape Verde Coast Guard Colonel Fernando Pereira, Advisor to the Minister of Defense Carlos Reis, Director General of Foreign Affairs Jose Luis Rocha, and Augusto Pinheiro, Director General of Internal Administration (whose portfolio includes all national police forces). ¶2. More telling perhaps than the discussion was the venue: this meeting took place aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dallas following an historic two week cruise in Cape Verdean waters in which a GOCV Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) engaged in joint operations with the USCG for the first time anywhere in sub-saharan Africa. The team successfully conducted six boardings of suspect vessels, including a night interdiction and boarding. While no narcotics or weapons were discovered, several administrative infractions were noted. More importantly, the highly successful deployment stands as proof of concept and a warning to all would-be violators that the GOCV is taking a stand against transnational crime. Where the Global Maritime Partnership speaks of the potential for future joint training progressing to eventual joint operations, Cape Verde has already achieved that level of performance and integration with its security partners. Cape Verde is, in that sense, not just a supporter of the GMP, but proof that the GMP concept is viable, effective, and useful. ¶3. All present at the meeting recognized that Cape Verde and its security partners have a mutual interest in continuing such engagements, from sharing intelligence all the way up to joint enforcement actions. Cape Verde relies on its partners to assist it to project its authority effectively into the deep water, while partners such as the U.S. and EU benefit from a capable and willing partner, forward logistics support, and a geostrategically significant location astride the major smuggling routes from South America to Europe. Cape Verde's only concern, expressed by DG Rocha, is that the scheduling of such cooperative efforts be agreed upon well in advance, to maximize impact and to ensure that multiple such efforts with diverse partners (recently including the French, the Spanish, the Portuguese, and the U.K.) not overlap. Properly scheduled, such engagements will go a long way to making up for the lack of GOCV deep-water capabilities, and will seek to throw off balance and ultimately deter would-be smugglers from using Cape Verdean waters. DUNN