KIMBERLEY PROCESS CABLE KUDOS

UNCLAS STATE 000513 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EMIN SUBJECT: KIMBERLEY PROCESS CABLE KUDOS ¶1. (U) Summary. EEB wishes to express sincere gratitude to Embassy Harare, Embassy Windhoek, and two officers who contributed greatly to the U.S. representation to the Kimberley Process (KP) in 2009. ¶2. (SBU) The year in the KP began and ended with intense focus on the Marange diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe. Throughout the entire year, which was a trying and complex one for Zimbabwe, EEB leaned heavily on Embassy Harare for support and insight. In particular, Harare Human Rights Officer Amanda Porter provided invaluable guidance on the diamond-specific situation on the ground in Marange and the larger political and economic context in Zimbabwe. Ms. Porter maintained critical NGO and community contacts in the region, contacts that no other KP Participant appeared to have. When EEB was tasked on short notice at the June KP meeting in Namibia to work with THE Government of Zimbabwe to develop a program for the then-imminent KP Review Mission to Zimbabwe, Ms. Porter offered extensive advice, then served as an essential liaison for both EEB and the entire Review Team during the Mission itself. Finally, during the lead-up to the November KP Plenary, where Zimbabwe was the primary topic of discussion, Ms. Porter gleaned important information from contacts at other missions in Harare on their countries, likely negotiating positions. ¶3. (SBU) The focus on Zimbabwe was made even more difficult by the fact that Namibia was the Chair of the KP, and the individual selected by Namibia to be Chair was completely new to the organization. EEB relied on Embassy Windhoek for a range of support throughout the year to maintain communication with the Chair,s staff and deliver views on critical issues. In addition, Econoff Frank DeParis at Embassy Windoek went above and beyond during both the Windhoek Intersessional in June and Swakopmund Plenary in November to make sure the interagency U.S. delegation understood the political context of the Namibian chairmanship and served as a willing interlocutor with the Chair,s staff throughout the year. Mr. DeParis unfailingly anticipated the varied needs of the delegation during both meetings, from setting up side meetings on other topics to ensuring that travel arrangements were taken care of, despite a consistent lack of cooperation from the Chair,s staff to provide needed information. ¶4. (U) Ms. Porter and Mr. DeParis provided superior advice and assistance to EEB and the entire interagency KP team throughout the year, ensuring that the U.S. representatives on the KP Review Mission to Zimbabwe and at both international meetings in Namibia were well- informed and could serve as leaders for other delegations. CLINTON