PRESIDENT THANKS AMBASSADOR FOR USG SUPPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L MAPUTO 000128

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV KMCA MCC SNAR EAID MZ
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT THANKS AMBASSADOR FOR USG SUPPORT

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Todd Chapman for reasons 1.4 (b+d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: On February 10 Ambassador Rowe presented
her credentials to the GRM at a formal ceremony at the
Presidency hosted by President Guebuza. During the brief but
substantive discussion which followed, Guebuza described the
GRM's relationship with the USG as "excellent," expressing
particular appreciation for the MCC, the ongoing visit of the
two USN ships and the maritime security and officer training
provided by the U.S. military. For the first time ever, he
specifically identified narcotrafficking as a problem in
Mozambique, stating that he looked forward to working with
the USG to address this growing challenge, and conveyed via
the Ambassador his best wishes to President Obama. END
SUMMARY.

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MILITARY, MCC LAUDED, NARCOTRAFFICKING A CONCERN
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2. (C) During a formal, fifteen-minute ceremony at the
Presidency, Ambassador presented her credentials to President
Guebuza. Guebuza used the ten-minute discussion which
followed to praise relations between the GRM and USG and to
express his appreciation for USG support. After
acknowledging the current visit to Maputo of the USS Nicholas
and HSV-2 Swift, he extolled MCC efforts to improve
infrastructure and U.S. military support and training. He
noted the increasing threat posed by Somali piracy to his
nation's maritime security. Significantly, he noted for the
first time that narcotrafficking was a growing concern in
Mozambique and said that he looked forward to working with
the USG to combat the problem(NOTE: Visiting Africa
Partnership Station- East (APS-E)Commodore Tranoris mentioned
narcotrafficking as one ofthe negative consequences of weak
maritime domain security in his comments to the press the
previous day. END NOTE).

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A CORDIAL FIRST ENCOUNTER
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3. (SBU) The Ambassador confirmed USG commitment and
continued support. She noted that President Obama often
refers to African leaders as "partners" and that she fully
expected to continue the U.S. policy of providing appropriate
support in the spirit of partnership. President Guebuza
asked the Ambassador to convey his best wishes to President
Obama, which she agreed to do. Closing the discussion,
President Guebuza requested an opportunity to meet again for
broader discussions, to which the Ambassador readily agreed.
Guebuza's request confirmed a similar overture made by the
Foreign Minister the previous day.

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COMMENT: SURPRISINGLY SUBSTANTIVE START
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4. (C) President Guebuza rarely uses protocol events for
policy discussion with foreign diplomats. As such it is
significant that--without prompting--he raised a number of
important bilateral issues, including narcotrafficking, which
he has never mentioned previously in any discussion with USG
interlocutors. While it is still too early to make any value
judgments of how the incoming GRM administration will
approach the USG relationship, it is possible that as Guebuza
settles into his second term, he and his ministers may be
willing to engage the USG more substantively than in the past
on issues of importance to the USG.
ROWE