FOREIGN MINISTER BULLISH (MOSTLY) ON DEEPENING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LUANDA 000338 SIPDIS PLEASE PASS TO USTR AND PEACE CORPS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/03/2014 TAGS: AO EAIR ECON ETRD MARR PGOV PREL SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER BULLISH (MOSTLY) ON DEEPENING RELATIONS REF: SECSTATE 55480 Classified By: Ambassador Dan Mozena for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Visibly enthusiastic, Angolan Foreign Minister Dos Anjos told Ambassador Mozena during June 2 meeting that his recent visit to Washington was a "highlight of his life" and termed "deepening the relationship" as the major result. Seizing on the momentum of the visit, the Ambassador followed up on key agenda items, including Zimbabwe, Madagascar, TIFA, military cooperation, and continued senior-level engagement, among others. Dos Anjos reaffirmed his commitments and undertook to move ahead with deepening relations in most areas. End summary. -------------- Regional Engagement -------------- ¶2. (C) The Ambassador reminded Dos Anjos of the seriousness with which the US takes the situations in Zimbabwe and Madagascar. He encouraged SADC's support for reform-minded members of Zimbabwe's government. The Ambassador reminded Dos Anjos of US appreciation for SADC's strong stance on the unconstitutional change of power in Madagascar and that the US looks to Angola to engage more in the future in addressing regional security problems. ¶3. (C) Dos Anjos welcomed US appreciation for SADC's role in Madagascar and reaffirmed his hope that Angola would play a greater role in promoting security in the region and on the continent as a whole. On Zimbabwe, Dos Anjos reiterated Angola's position, calling for an end of sanctions against Zimbabwe's government, which he called a "government of national unity that offers a strong foundation for Zimbabwe's growth." Responding to the Ambassador's points, Dos Anjos said SADC has auditors capable of ensuring that foreign assistance reaches the Zimbabwean people. -------------- A Deepening Bilateral Relationship -------------- ¶4. (C) During a friendly and constructive exchange of views regarding the range of issues that featured during the Washington visit, the Ambassador and the Foreign Minister identified next steps for advancing the multifaceted bilateral agenda. Noting that "words alone aren't enough, we need action," Dos Anjos was an enthusiastic partner in charting a course of action for most/most issues, as follows: -- Framework for sustained, senior-level bilateral engagement. Dos Anjos welcomed the Secretary's suggestion for creating a formal mechanism for sustained engagement at the senior level. The Ambassador and Foreign Minister agreed that both governments should reflect on how such a mechanism might be structured and then exchange ideas to get the ball rolling. -- TIFA. Dos Anjos was pleased that he was able to sign this accord. The Ambassador said the next step is to establish the U.S.-Angola Council on Trade and Investment, as stipulated in the agreement. The Ambassador undertook to engage with the State Department and USTR on how best to move ahead on this front. The Foreign Minister agreed the Ministry of Commerce would be key from the Angolan side. -- Visits. Dos Anjos replayed his inviting both President Obama and Secretary Clinton to Angola, noting that he hoped the Secretary would be able to come "in a short time." He added that a meeting of the two presidents in Luanda would "galvanize the youth and the people of Angola." -- Mil-Mil Relations. The Foreign Minister called for us to "intensify the dialog" with Angola on the proposed MOU for deepening mil-mil engagement, emphasizing that "the door is not closed" for further negotiations on this agreement. Concerning cancellation of the proposed ship visit in August, Dos Anjos said Angola could not afford to tie up dock space in either Luanda or Lobito to accommodate the visit, given the backlog of ships at both ports awaiting berthing space. -- Treasury Resident Advisors. Dos Anjos was pleased with his visit to Treasury and impressed that a Treasury team had already come to Luanda to explore prospects for posting one or more Treasury Resident Advisors at the Finance Ministry LUANDA 00000338 002 OF 002 and/or Central Bank to provide technical assistance. When queried as to whether he would like the team to meet with someone at MIREX, the Minister responded that he himself would meet with the team. -- Delta. Dos Anjos said he had met with Transportation Minister Tomas after his return from Washington, and he was pleased with the progress Delta has made with both the national airline TAAG and Angolan authorities in initiating direct air service between the U.S. and Angola. The Ambassador said he, too, was pleased with the progress, though some challenging issues remained, including security arrangements at the airport. The Ambassador said he hoped the GRA would work with Delta to address these concerns expeditiously. -- Peace Corps. Dos Anjos said the government had a good understanding of the concept of the proposed Peace Corps program and that the possibility of Peace Corps Volunteers teaching English at secondary schools is "currently being reviewed by other ministries." When the Ambassador suggested the possibility of a Peace Corps team's coming to Angola to provide more information about the program and to answer questions, Dos Anjos said such a visit would not be necessary. -- Parliamentary Exchanges. The Minister recounted warmly his meetings on Capitol Hill with Senator Lugar and Representative Payne, noting that he had updated both on Angola's progress in strengthening democracy and rebuilding a devastated infrastruce after decades of war. He also shared the challenges Angola faces in coping with the global financial crisis and its impact on the country's oil revenues. He said he had discussed with both Members the possibilities of parliamentary exchanges. ¶5. (C) Comment: The Foreign Minister was deeply touched by his warm reception in Washington, most especially by Secretary Clinton, but also by other members of the Executive Branch and on Capitol Hill. According to feedback we have had from other ministers, Dos Anjos apparently shared this positive read-out with the President and the Council of Ministers. In any case, the visit has energized the relationship, and we will seek to capitalize on this new momentum to advance our agenda on as many fronts as possible. That said, we can confidently predict that our success will be mixed with progress coming quickly in some areas, such as GRA support for posting Treasury resident advisors here and for Delta's efforts to establish direct airlinks between the U.S. and Angola, while progress will be slow on other fronts, such as ship visits and associated training. On negotiations of the proposed mil-mil MOU, we should be able to tell soon whether the Minister's professed "the door is not closed" is genuine or rhetorical. End comment. MOZENA