FRUITFUL DIALOGUE BETWEEN AMBASSADOR AND PM

UNCLAS MBABANE 000067


AF/S (MHARRIS); OGAC (CHOLMES;JTIMBERLAKE)
PRETORIA PLEASE PASS TO USAID

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM EAID WZ
SUBJECT: FRUITFUL DIALOGUE BETWEEN AMBASSADOR AND PM


1. SUMMARY: On March 6, Ambassador Parker met with Swazi Prime
Minister (PM) Barnabus Sibusiso Dlamini. Discussion included:
Ambassador Parker's impending departure from Swaziland; the 2008
Human Rights Report; current international perspective towards the
government of the Kingdom of Swaziland (GKOS); Swaziland's failure
to fund universal primary education; corruption; accelerating
discussions on the PEPFAR Partnership Framework; and the
renegotiation of the chancery lease with the Central Bank of
Swaziland. Most encouraging, PM Dlamini stressed that he wants the
Partnership Framework policy discussions that include the
Ambassador, himself, the Ministry of Health, and National Emergency
Response on HIV/AIDS (NERCHA) to be completed by March 13. The PM
also stated he would speak to the Governor of the Central Bank to
ensure that the chancery space is secure in the near term.


2. On March 6, Ambassador Parker met with PM Dlamini. The PM
expressed his regret regarding Ambassador Parker's early departure
from Swaziland. The Ambassador informed him that he was departing
for personal reasons, and also regretted having to depart at a
highly productive moment in U.S-Swazi relations.


3. The PM stated that, although it has been his desire to have
monthly meetings, he decided it would be prudent to wait for media
coverage to subside to avoid a meeting being misinterpreted by the
press as a confrontation. (NOTE: In January at a Public Diplomacy
event, Ambassador Parker publicly encouraged Swaziland to suspend
its repressive enforcement of the Suppression of Terrorism Act and
to respect the freedoms of expression, press and public assembly
guaranteed in the constitution.) Ambassador Parker expressed that
his comments were sincere, but the media reaction was unexpected.
The Ambassador said that the GKOS' continued use of the Suppression
of Terrorism Act to threaten members of civil society and now the
Swazi civil service, combined with the failure of the GKOS to
implement universal primary education this year, is casting a
negative image of him, and that of the GKOS, internationally. The
Ambassador used that opportunity to present PM Dlamini with a copy
of the Swaziland chapter of the 2008 Human Rights Report, noting
that multilateral organizations and NGOs have provided input to the
document and it reflects the current view of the USG towards the
GKOS' position on human rights. He explained that the combination
of constitutional violations by the government adds to a negative
image. The PM stated that it is good to know how others view
Swaziland. Regarding the Human Rights Report, the PM stated that he
would read it and decide whether or not the GKOS would respond.

MARIO MASUKU


4. The Ambassador stressed the concern of multilateral
organizations, bilateral Ambassadors, Amnesty International, and
other NGOs over the continued imprisonment of opposition leader
Mario Masuku on sedition and support of terrorism charges, and the
increasingly negative impression of the GKOS with these
organizations. PM Dlamini repeated his previous position that Mr.
Masuku is in prison because he prefers standing on principal, rather
than gaining his freedom. He said that Mr. Masuku's bail is only
500 Rand (approximately 50 U.S. dollars) and Masuku could pay this
small fee at any time. The PM looked annoyed at the suggestion that
Mr. Masuku be released on his own recognizance and responded by
stating that Mr. Masuku will stand trial in the current session of
the high court.

UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION


5. Ambassador Parker asked the PM about the government's ability to
pay the school fees for Ambassador's Girls Scholarship Program
(AGSP) recipients, because program funding is scheduled to end in
June 2009. He noted that the AGSP was a four-year program with an
ending date that would coincide with the constitution's promise of
universal education for all primary school children in 2009. The
Prime Minister noted that the Swazi budget shortfalls did not permit
funding of universal education or the AGSP in 2009. He said the
provision is misunderstood, stating the constitution calls for (or
permits) a phase-in of universal primary education, starting at the
first grade level and adding another grade each successive year.
The planned roll-out of the program will only benefit those children
who have not yet entered primary school, and will only cover
tuition. Parents will still be responsible for uniforms, books and
supplies.


6. The Ambassador informed the PMthat a UNDP study of the costs
associated with universal education in Swaziland indicated that
implementation would cost the GKOS an additional 11.5 million U.S.
Dollars per year. He said that Swaziland's failure to fund
universal education appears to be a matter of preference, rather
than funding limitations. He further noted that the 2009 budget for
the GKOS has allocated $14 million USD for cost overruns for the
Mbabane bypass road and other more expensive, yet less critical,
projects. The PM stated that the cost overrun for the bypass road
is the result of corruption among private contractors. He said that
the GKOS was going to use the Anti-Corruption Commission to ferret
out corruption and would start with the Central Transit Authority
(CT) and its private contractors. He stated that the Embassy will
be hearing about the first indictments by Swaziland for GKOS
employees.

PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORK ON HIV/AIDS


7. Prime Minister Dlamini said that in addition to vigorously
pursuing perpetrators of corruption, the GKOS was also committed to
combating HIV/AIDs in Swaziland. He complained that the USG and
other donors were not committing the level of funds to Swaziland
that were being given to countries with a lesser prevalence rate of
HIV/AIDS. The Ambassador reminded him of the increased funding by
PEPFAR and mentioned our efforts to develop a Partnership Framework
with Swaziland prior to the end of April. The PM stated that he
would speak to Minister of Health Benedict Xaba and said that all
Swazi and American negotiators should meet in his office on
Thursday, March 12 to discuss the final details of the Framework.
That meeting has been scheduled.

LEASE ON EMBASSY CHANCERY


8. Before ending the meeting, the Ambassador told the Prime
Minister that he was concerned about the status of the lease on the
Embassy chancery. He informed him the PM that the U.S. Government
has been involved in ongoing discussions regarding the terms of our
lease since 2007. He assured the PM that the USG is making a good
faith effort to move the lease agreement along, that we have
identified property for construction of a new chancery in Ezulwini,
but did not mention the recently delayed construction date from 2011
to 2017. The PM assured the Ambassador that the GKOS would not
evict the Embassy from its current facilities in the near term and
that he would inform Governor Martin Dlamini of the Central Bank to
be more patient with the U.S. Embassy. On the other hand, he
recommended that we continue to seek ways to reach agreement on the
terms of a new lease with the Central Bank. The Ambassador stated
that he would make a request to OBO to send real estate negotiators
to visit Swaziland to conclude contract talks ASAP.

COMMENT


9. Despite the range of contentious issues covered, the tone of the
conversation was relaxed, congenial and professional. The Prime
Minister thanked the Ambassador for coming to see him on short
notice and stated that he hopes to continue this series of
one-on-one meetings on a monthly basis. The Ambassador informed him
of his desire to have a private meeting with the Swazi National
Council (the King's secretive advisory board) and invite the King to
his residence for a private dinner. The PM encouraged him to do
both and stated that he would advise the Council and His Majesty to
accept the invitations from the U.S. Embassy.

PARKER