TANZANIA ANNOUNCES CANDIDATE FOR UNESCO DIRECTOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAR ES SALAAM 000265 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/E JLIDDLE, IO/UNESCO E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/23/2014 TAGS: PREL UNESCO TZ SUBJECT: TANZANIA ANNOUNCES CANDIDATE FOR UNESCO DIRECTOR GENERAL REF: A. 2008 STATE 130915 ¶B. 2008 DAR ES SALAAM 847 Classified By: Poloff Carl B. Fox for reason 1.5 (d) ¶1. (U) MFA Director of Multilateral Cooperation Begum Taj advised Poloff April 17 that Tanzania had just announced its candidate for Director General of UNESCO and sought US support. The diplomatic note formally introducing the candidate, Professor Sospeter Muhongo, has been forwarded to AF/E. ¶2. (C) Taj said US opposition to the Egyptian candidate was an important part of the GOT decision to nominate a candidate (reftels),as was the fact that Algeria had earlier put forth a candidate (thus breaking any African consensus behind Egypt). Taj noted that at the time of the January African Union summit, only the Egyptian candidate had been nominated. In keeping with normal AU practice, the AU therefore did not include the election on its agenda or formally endorse the Egyptian candidate. CUNNANE