MIL-MIL MOU BACK ON TRACK

C O N F I D E N T I A L LUANDA 000375 E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2019 TAGS: PREL MOPS MARR AO SUBJECT: MIL-MIL MOU BACK ON TRACK REF: LUANDA 235 Classified by Ambassador Dan Mozena, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary. On June 16, Vice Minister of Defense Nelumba told Ambassador the Foreign Minister's May visit to Washington "had surpassed expectations" and that his ministry was interested in deeper cooperation with United States. In particular, he confirmed that his ministry had assembled a "technical group" to prepare Angolan comments on the proposed U.S.-Angola military-military MOU, discussions of which his ministry had previously put on hold (reftel). The Vice Minister did not offer a specific timeframe but said this process would proceed quickly, after which mil-mil cooperation would be governed by the MOU. The Foreign Minister's visit to the United States has clearly pushed the Angolan defense establishment back into gear, at least for the moment, on this important bilateral initiative. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) As a follow up to the ForMin's mid-May visit to Washington, Ambassador, accompanied by DCM and DATT, called on Vice Minister of Defense Agostinho Fernandes Nelumba on June 16. (Note: Nelumba traveled to Washington with the ForMin and had a separate meeting with Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Vershbow). Ambassador emphasized the importance of the visit and told Nelumba of Ambassador Vershbow's constructive comments about the meeting. Nelumba said the visit had "surpassed expectations" and gave the Ambassador a readout of the meeting. Nelumba insisted that the GRA was committed to deepening the military relationship. ¶3. (C) The Vice Minister said the mil-mil MOU - which his own ministry had previously put on hold - was a major topic of conversation in Washington. He declared that the project was now back on the table. Nelumba told the Ambassador that the GRA had formed a "technical group" of Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces of Angola (FAA) officials to review the American draft. The group would study the text, make notes, particularly concerning issues of "Angolan national sovereignty," and seek approval of "higher authority." Following this, the two sides would discuss the document, with negotiations to conclude with a signing either in Washington or Luanda. Nelumba could not specify how long this process would take, but said it should be relatively brief. Once the MOU came into force, he said, Angola expected that all bilateral military cooperation would be governed by it, including current areas of cooperation. Ambassador confirmed with the Vice Minister that current cooperation could continue until the MOU was signed. ¶4. (SBU) Ambassador also raised the issue of English language instruction for FAA personnel. Nelumba concurred that this was a high priority but noted that MOD's budgetary difficulties impacted the ministry's ability to train its staff in English. Ambassador noted that President Dos Santos had told him how important this was to Angola and suggested that having a DOD English teaching team travel to Angola could address the ministry's financial concerns. DATT laid out a plan for such training, beginning in January. The Vice Minister approved the idea but requested a formal, written proposal. He observed that there would be certain procedural matters to be resolved, perhaps through some sort of agreement or exchange of notes, before the team could start teaching. DATT promised a proposal shortly. ¶5. (SBU) In closing, Ambassador again stressed the importance of the relationship. Angola was an essential element in creating regional stability, the Ambassador said, and the United States welcomed continued cooperation in areas like airspace and maritime security, key to preventing trafficking in drugs and people, fighting terrorism, and protecting Angola's oil wealth. Nelumba agreed. ¶6. (C) Comment. A few short weeks ago, MOD was telling us that the MOU, originally the brainchild of the Minister of Defense, was on hold. Strong U.S. engagement in advance of and, especially, during the Foreign Minister's visit to Washington has evidently turned this around, at least for the moment. The fact that Nelumba was chosen to go to Washington, and to meet with the Ambassador about the MOU subsequently, may be significant. Our previous interlocutor, Vice Minister Ruffino, was often difficult and seemingly more interested in slowing, rather than facilitating, dialog on this issue. On first blush, Nelumba is more cooperative and committed to moving the MOU forward. While we cannot say how long it will take the "technical group" to do its work, we are for now reengaged with MOD on the memorandum of understanding. End Comment. MOZENA