NAMIBIA ON KIMBERLEY PROCESS CHAIRMANSHIP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 WINDHOEK 000082 SIPDIS FOR EEB (BBROOKS-RUBIN) AND AF/S (EPELLETREAU) E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/04/2019 TAGS: ECON ETTC EMIN ETRD WA SUBJECT: NAMIBIA ON KIMBERLEY PROCESS CHAIRMANSHIP Classified By: DCM Matt Harrington for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Namibia's newly appointed chair of the Kimberley Process (KP) -- Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy Bernhardt Esau -- told DCM on February 24 that Zimbabwe would be his primary challenge. He plans a site visit there shortly and has invited South Africa and Angola to join the delegation, although the exact terms of reference are still being developed. It is unclear how firm a stance Esau will take on Zimbabwe, given his own government's historical ties to ZANU-PF and reluctance to criticize Robert Mugabe. During his chairmanship, Esau also hopes to standardize the KP certificate, conduct a number of site visits, host a successful intersessional meeting in June, and focus on provision of capacity-building and training for the weaker states. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy Bernhardt Esau was recently named to lead Namibia's chairmanship of the Kimberley Process (KP). DCM called on him on February 24 to learn more about his plans for the chairmanship. Esau was accompanied by KP Coordinator Cecilie Mbundu. ¶3. (C) DCM congratulated Esau on Namibia's KP chairmanship and expressed the USG's desire to collaborate closely with him on the key issues. He asked about Esau's plans and objectives for the year. Zimbabwe -------------- ¶4. (C) Esau, unprompted, identified Zimbabwe as his principal challenge. He noted his intention to lead a site visit to Zimbabwe within the next two weeks. He was prepared to issue a public statement, but thought it would be premature to do so before a site visit. Pressed on who would comprise the delegation, Esau said he had invited South Africa and Angola to participate, and had asked the chair of the working group on monitoring to recommend others. Esau added that he would like to include members of civil society, but he did not elaborate. Asked who the delegation's primary interlocutors would be in Zimbabwe, Esau said his intention would be to see the minister responsible for mines, as well as the chamber of commerce and the chamber of mines. He also expressed interest in calling on representatives of the labor movement. Esau said the details on the terms of reference had yet to be worked out. Administrative challenges -------------- ¶5. (C) Esau identified his other primary challenges as "administrative." Organizing the intersessional meeting in June, would consume quite a bit of his attention. He also plans to conduct site visits, including to DRC, Liberia, Bangladesh, and the United States. ¶6. (C) When DCM expressed concern about the potential for backtracking by some on the core KP issues, Esau strongly agreed on the need for vigilance. He said an energetic response now was appropriate, perhaps focusing on strengthening the capacity of weaker states. "Capacity building should be the buzzword," he said. U.S.-Namibia collaboration -------------- ¶7. (C) The DCM solicited Esau's thoughts on which areas might prove fertile ground for collaboration with or support from the United States. The Deputy Minister mentioned the following: capacity-building and training, standardization of the KP certificate, and implementation of resolutions from the last plenary session. Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) Esau struck us as smart, thoughtful, and engaging. WINDHOEK 00000082 002 OF 002 He is new to the Kimberley Process but seems determined to get up to speed quickly and to work cooperatively with us. The difficult issue for him, however, may be Zimbabwe, an issue on which he might be boxed in by his own government's policy. Namibia's ruling party, SWAPO, has longstanding ties with Robert Mugabe from the liberation war years, and it has declined to criticize the Zimbabwean leader publicly. MATHIEU