EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY SEC-GEN ON USG-EAC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 DAR ES SALAAM 000105 DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E JTREADWELL; AF/C AKEITH AND AF/EPS STATE PASS TO USAID/EA STATE PASS TO USITC TREASURY FOR REBECCA KLEIN LABOR FOR INTERNATIONAL LABOR AFFAIRS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR PREL ECON EAID XW ZF TZ SUBJECT: EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY SEC-GEN ON USG-EAC COOPERATION REFS: (A) Dar es Salaam 89 (B) Dar es Salaam 88 (C) Kigali 62 (D) Dar es Salaam 17 DAR ES SAL 00000105 001.2 OF 004 ¶1. SUMMARY: On January 20, I visited East African Community (EAC) Secretary-General Juma V. Mwapachu (Tanzania) to discuss the three-D's: "Defense, Diplomacy and Development." The U.S. and the EAC share common goals. We have undertaken several projects together in the areas of defense, aviation security and trade development. The growing complexity of our engagement and the regional nature of the EAC imply the need for greater attention to this increasingly important institution. Our engagement should be carried out in a manner closely coordinated with the Bureau and U.S. Missions in the five EAC countries. I suggest we discuss this issue at the upcoming East Africa Chief of Mission conference. END SUMMARY. ¶2. On January 20, I visited East African Community (ref A) Secretary-General Juma V. Mwapachu (Tanzania). Ambassador Mwapachu brought to the meeting his Chef de Cabinet, the EAC Directors for Trade and for Infrastructure as well as the Defense Liaison Officer. I told the Sec-Gen that I have a mandate to maintain the excellent relationship we have with Tanzania and to enhance it wherever possible. It was in that spirit that I came to Arusha to acquaint myself with the EAC. Mwapachu said that the EAC's relationship with the U.S. was good and getting better, but that "all opportunities had not yet been exploited." DEFENSE -------------- ¶3. On the Defense front, Mwapachu said that the U.S. assisted in a joint training exercise last year in Uganda involving troops from throughout the EAC (The AFRICOM-sponsored exercise "Natural Fires"). This was something that partners would like to do on a regular basis-- if not annually then at least every two years, given the costs and logistics for such an exercise, he said. At present, EAC states were working on a Memorandum of Understanding regarding joint military cooperation. Mwapachu welcomed the advice and assistance the EAC was getting from the U.S. Defense Attache system in the region and welcomed inputs from AFRICOM directly. ¶4. Mwapachu said that while the five East Africa Community states are at peace at this time, the history of the Great Lakes region (including EAC members Burundi and Rwanda) has largely been one of instability. The Eastern Congo still remained a big concern for all. Mwapachu also lamented that fugitives from the Rwanda genocide were still at large. Until they could be brought to justice, that file would remain open. To the north of EAC-space, South Sudan's independence referendum, scheduled for June 2011, could bring "unknown changes." Also to the north, Somalia's Al-Shabab insurgents had been "poking" into Kenya on occasion. "High seas piracy is bad. Cross-border incursions are even worse." I stated that these unfortunate developments are of great concern to the USG as well. ¶5. Mwapachu appealed to me for help to reinforce the military relationship between the EAC and AFRICOM. Mwapachu characterized AFRICOM as "a force for stability in the region." I spoke to Mwapachu about my meeting with AFRICOM Commander General William Ward last November at which we discussed that very topic. Mwapachu admitted that the "ball was in the EAC court" for now until member states could agree on a common, broad-based defense policy. Once an MOU was signed, then the EAC could work to establish a mil-mil DAR ES SAL 00000105 002.2 OF 004 relationship with AFRICOM more directly. That notwithstanding, Mwapachu said the ad hoc joint missions that were put together through the U.S. bilaterally involving all or most of the partners remained highly useful. ¶6. Looking toward the future, Mwapachu would like to see more cooperation in terms of counterinsurgency, peace-building and peace keeping, with operations on both land and sea. Mwapachu would like the EAC to have five stand-by brigades, one per member, dedicated to common EAC defense as well as for use in natural disasters and humanitarian assistance. Such a force should be fully integrated into African Union defense plans and should have a joint cooperation agreement with the European Union as well. AVIATION SECURITY -------------- ¶7. On the subject of civil aviation, regulation of safety and security oversight of regional airways remained another key concern for the EAC. The EAC was working with TSA, DOT and FAA in the U.S. to try to set up a "Safe Skies for Africa" program. Mwapachu described support from the U.S. as "elaborate," including equipment and training. The goal was to bring the region into a "Category 1" safety regime to permit regular, direct flights to the U.S. Currently no airline-- U.S., local or third-country-- offered direct flights from East Africa to the U.S. Delta was supposed to start direct flights to Nairobi, but terrorist threats from Al-Shabab put the project on hold, according to his information. Air links to America were key for the region, he added. ¶8. The EAC also was trying to de-regulate the commercial aspects of regional flights. Ambassador Mwapachu said that the EAC had an open skies agreement with SADC. The EAC already had an agreement with the U.S. on upper atmosphere flights, but was still working on getting an agreement for lower air space flights. INFRASTRUCTURE -------------- ¶9. The EAC wanted to re-establish a railway link from Rwanda to Tanzania (ref C). Through a U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) grant, U.S. firm BNSF (Burlington, Northern, Santa Fe) recently conducted a study for a standard gauge railway from Kigali to Dar es Salaam (the current, unusable track was narrow gauge and not to international scale). The African Development Bank was also looking at funding a railway spur from Kigali to Bujumbura, Ambassador Mwapachu said. I expressed concern about recent flooding in the central area around the railway track; at least one bridge had collapsed and tracks washed away at several points. I reminded Mwapachu that the U.S. had just sent USD 50,000 emergency relief to flood victims there (ref D). In terms of the plan for the railway itself, I reassured Mwapachu that I had spoken to the U.S. executive heading the company involved and that we at the U.S. Mission to Tanzania were following the project closely. ¶10. Ambassador Mwapachu said the EAC was also looking to engage on maritime issues. Mwapachu said he was looking at areas that could be privatized to gain U.S. participation in that sector. TRADE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT -------------- DAR ES SAL 00000105 003.2 OF 004 ¶11. In 2008, the EAC signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with USTDA, on the margins of a Washington- hosted summit of regional transportation ministers. Mwapachu's Director of Trade, Dr. Mossonda, said that on February 15 in Kampala there will be a meeting of trade ministers to, inter alia, look at how to capitalize on the TIFA. The ministers may also launch a "TIFA Council" and adopt a work plan. Mwapachu said it would be good if ministers could flesh-out the framework to link it with AGOA. Inter-regional trade was low, he said. In fact, the upcoming ministerial would be only the second time that regional trade ministers met together. Currently, most AGOA trade was from Kenya on the supply side, he said. ¶12. An important U.S. contribution to East Africa trade was COMPETE (Competitiveness and Trade Expansion) a regional USAID program valued at USD $84 million to spur trade in the region. COMPETE was useful in supporting the private sector to participate in policy-making dialogue with the EAC, Mwapachu said. It also had been helpful in homogenizing trade and customs procedures and applying best practices for the border posts. ¶13. Mwapachu said he next would like to focus on grains, the transport of which was "not smooth." On the subject of agricultural trade, Mwapachu admitted that the U.S. had a "hard time" in East Africa, especially with beef and cereals. Ambassador Mwapachu hoped the upcoming TIFA ministerial could look at that.I insisted that trade needed to be mutually supportive and not one-sided. Nonetheless, U.S. interest in the region was there, so EAC members had to nurture East Africa's "tremendous potential." DIPLO]AgYQZQQQQDQv+Qq0bX{cbaxnK\Ging to discuss East Africa regional issues, he and/or his organization would be available to provide briefings. ¶15. Summarizing the state-of-play of East African political federation, Mwapachu said members remained national in their thinking, but virtually all infrastructural issues cut across borders. Therefore, he said, there was a growing regional perspective to members' national planning. COMMENT: -------------- ¶16. Much of what I discussed with Mwapachu we only have limited visibility on from Dar es Salaam. We have even less visibility on EAC events in other member states, except through the good reporting of our colleagues at U.S. Missions to other EAC members. Often however, when the EAC Chautauqua rolls into town outside of Arusha, reporting officers have no context to discern the relative importance to Washington policy makers. Burgeoning U.S. engagement with the EAC is tied to the emerging relevance of the organization and to the increasing inter-connectivity of core American policy goals throughout the region. For example, during March 10-12, Dar es Salaam will host anti-counterfeiting training for officials of EAC states. The growing complexity of our engagement and the regional nature of the EAC imply the need DAR ES SAL 00000105 004.2 OF 004 for greater attention to this increasingly important institution. Our engagement should be carried out in a manner closely coordinated with the Bureau and U.S. Missions in the five EAC countries. I suggest we discuss this issue at the upcoming East Africa Chief of Mission conference. ¶17. A Biography of Ambassador Dr. Juma V. Mwapachu can be found through this link: http://www.eac.int/sg Lenhardt