TUNISIA: U.S. TRADE DELEGATION'S SUCCESSFUL VISIT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TUNIS 000134 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EEB AND NEA/MAG STATE PASS USTR (BURKHEAD) AND USAID (MCCLOUD) USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/ONE (MASON),ADVOCACY CTR (TABINE),AND CLDP (TEJTEL AND MCMANUS) CASABLANCA FOR FCS (KITSON) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ETRN EINV TS SUBJECT: TUNISIA: U.S. TRADE DELEGATION'S SUCCESSFUL VISIT This cable is sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly. This message contains sensitive company proprietary information; please protect accordingly. -------------- Summary and Comment -------------- ¶1. (SBU) A U.S. business delegation of eight companies visited Tunisia February 14-16 before the Department of Commerce-led Executive Trade Mission to Algeria and Libya. Prominent U.S. firms, including Raytheon, Boeing, and Motorola, were among those in the group. The delegates met with ministers and other high-level GOT officials in multiple ministries, held business-to-business meetings with over 50 Tunisian companies, and met with officials at the African Development Bank. The delegates reported their meetings as useful, with some companies looking to set up in Tunisia as a platform for business in the Maghreb and others focusing solely on the Tunisian market. At least four companies are set to come back to Tunisia to continue dialogue, finalize deals, or sign partnership agreements as a result of their meetings during this visit. Unfortunately, we received the participant list from the Department of Commerce only four weeks before the trip date, meaning at least four other companies who told us they were interested in Tunisia decided they were unable to join the delegation due to lack of advance notice. With 74 American companies already established in Tunisia, plus Lockheed Martin's February 16 signing for the sale of two C-130Js to the Ministry of Defense, the climate is ripe for further U.S. commercial engagement with Tunisia. ¶2. (SBU) The U.S. trade mission to Tunisia represented a valuable opportunity to demonstrate the potential for further U.S.-Tunisia trade and investment. The GOT rolled out a red carpet for these companies and was eager to showcase Tunisia as an investment destination. The Tunisian private sector was likewise keen on partnering with U.S. firms. With a sizeable number of U.S. companies already operating here, plus Tunisia's strategic geographic location as a platform for both the Maghreb and Europe, it is clear that opportunities for U.S. business in Tunisia exist. We were pleased to be able to host the eight companies that traveled to Tunisia, and stand ready to host future delegations. Had Tunisia had been included in the Executive Trade Mission from the start, as the Embassy repeatedly requested, it would have allowed all 24 delegates to explore opportunities here for a relatively low additional cost. It should always be our mission, especially now in view of President Obama's recently launched National Export Initiative, to expose companies to additional markets fertile to U.S. exports. End summary and comment. -------------- Overview of the Delegation -------------- ¶3. (SBU) A U.S. trade delegation, composed of eight companies in the telecom, defense, construction, energy, and aviation sectors, visited Tunisia on February 14-16 as an extra stop in conjunction with the Department of Commerce-led Executive Trade Mission to Algeria and Libya. The eight companies were Raytheon (Defense, Renewable Energy, and Port Security), Motorola (Telecom),Boeing (Aviation),TJJA Architects (Architecture),Hill International (Construction Management), Wall Ties and Forms (Concrete Forms),CMF Distribution (Pipes and Valves),and Capstone Turbine (Turbines for Energy). During their time in Tunisia, the delegates met with high-level Government of Tunisia officials, had business-to-business meetings with over 50 Tunisian companies, and liaised with officials from the African Development Bank. They also had a chance to meet with executives from the 74 U.S. companies currently based in Tunisia, and dozens of Tunisian private sector and government leaders, at an evening reception hosted by the Ambassador. There was positive coverage of the visit in the Tunisian press, in part thanks to the delegates' willingness to do one-on-one media interviews. ¶4. (SBU) Overall, delegates reported the visit to be very useful. Some companies, such as Raytheon and Motorola, came to Tunisia primarily for reconnaissance and familiarization, TUNIS 00000134 002 OF 003 but actually came away with some real possibilities for business (see paragraphs five and six). Others, such as CMF Distribution, will reportedly make a sale thanks to a meeting arranged by the Embassy. A clear trend with many of the participants was their inclination to look to Tunisia as an ideal base to serve the Maghreb market, as well as the nearby EU. At least three of the companies are planning follow-up visits to Tunisia later in the year to explore opportunities garnered during the delegation's visit. -------------- A GOT Red Carpet -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Although many meetings were not confirmed until 24 hours before the visit, the GOT came through with a series of high-level meetings for the delegation. The entire group met with Minister of Development and International Cooperation Mohamed Jouini, who identified information technology (IT), manufacturing, aeronautics, health care, and skills platforms as key areas in the Tunisian development strategy. In addition, the GOT arranged meetings with Minister of Communication Technologies Mohamed Ammar, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Industry and Technology's official in charge of renewable energy, the Ministry of Transportation's Director of Civil Aviation, and the Ministry of Public Works, Housing, and Land Management. It also facilitated one-on-one company meetings with senior leaders of the state-owned electricity utility, Societe Tunisienne d'Electricite et du Gaz (STEG),the Tunisian Ports Authority (OMMP),the national water distribution utility (SONEDE) and the national sanitation utility (ONAS). All companies also had a chance to meet with the Ministry of Development and International Cooperation's Foreign Investment Promotion Agency. -------------- Handshakes and Deals -------------- ¶6. (SBU) By virtue of her extended visit (February 12 arrival),Marleine Davis, Director for Middle East and North Africa for Government Relations for Motorola, was able to canvas the IT/Telecom sector thoroughly, which led her to report she would recommend a sales and technical team return to Tunisia for follow-on discussions. Davis met with the CEO of the state-owned mobile and fixed telephony company, Tunisie Telecom (TT),and its main private competitor, Tunisiana. TT and Motorola discussed the potential sale of 3G, 4G, and Wimax technology as well as Motorola's solution for multivendor optimization, a system that TT could use to streamline their management of technical subcontractors. She noted the meetings with the Ministry of Communications were most useful, as the Ministry took her on an extensive visit of the El Ghazala technopole and also arranged meetings with senior representatives of the Tunisian Postal Service. Motorola also saw potential in the Ministry of Defense's need for mission-critical communications systems, either through Foreign Military Financing (FMF) or Foreign Military Sales (FMS). Davis said she would look first to sales in Tunisia, but down the line to possible partnership and research and development opportunities. ¶7. (SBU) Raytheon, represented by Kevin Massengill, Regional Executive for the MENA Region, and Jim Piner, Regional Manager for North Africa and the Levant, found potential in the renewable energy, port security, and cyber-security sectors and may look to Tunisia to set up a manufacturing center for component parts. Based on their meeting with the Ministry of Industry and Technology (MOIT),Massengill said they would follow up on a potential sale of wind tunnel technology as part of Tunisia's plan to have over 15 percent of energy from renewable sources by 2016. During the meeting with OMMP (the national Ports Authority),Piner learned that a tender for Vessel Traffic and Maritime Systems (VTMS) for six Tunisian ports plus the entire coastline, which had never been published in order to fold it into a bilateral agreement between the Italians and the Tunisians, was not moving forward as planned. The OMMP's director for port security said the purchase, to be financed with a 20 million Euro line of credit for port security upgrades, had been stalled since 2007 and OMMP was looking for alternatives. Piner said he would study the VTMS project and likely return in April 2010 to also discuss cyber-security products for the GOT. He added that he did not see Raytheon following up on any TUNIS 00000134 003 OF 003 defense-related sales. ¶8. (SBU) Other companies, such as Capstone Turbine, said they would return to Tunisia to follow up on sales/partnership opportunities. Capstone's Director of Policy and Distribution Development, Justin Rathke, indicated he wished to sign a distribution contract for Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria, and would return to finalize distribution agreements with a Tunisian engineering company introduced to him by the Embassy. In addition, STEG, the national energy utility, may purchase some of Capstone's micro-turbines for backup in power plants. Ramon Castillo, President of CMF Distributors, met with a Tunisian golf course developer who will place an order for CMF's products. Castillo will also follow up with opportunities offered by the GOT's water management agencies (SONEDE and ONAS). ¶9. (SBU) Boeing's Director of Government and Industrial Relations for the MENA Region, Denise Faulhaber, came to Tunisia largely to learn about the market and maintain Boeing's visibility here. She declined to meet with the state-owned airline Tunisair, and instead met with the Ministry of Transportation's Director of Civil Aviation, Hamadi Ben Khalifa, who shared that Tunisiar was banking on early delivery of Airbus A350 aircraft. According to Faulhaber, this may not happen on schedule, which could present a potential sales opportunity for Boeing. Faulhaber also met with the Tunisian Aerospace Chamber (GITAS) to get an overview of the aeronautical sector and visited Eurocast, a factory that makes components for fuel injectors used in engines (which end up in Boeing aircraft). Based on the GITAS meeting, Boeing may participate in the second edition of the "Aerospace Meetings" to be held in Tunisia in July ¶2010. Faulhaber also spent a considerable amount of time fending off rumors that Boeing was planning to build a plant in Tunisia. The Embassy has identified the economic newspaper which provided the faulty reporting and will follow up. ¶10. (SBU) The remaining companies, Hill International, TJJ Architects, and Wall-Ties and Forms, also had a full schedule of meetings, including a courtesy call with the Ministry of Public Works, Housing, and Land Management. Hill is present in every country in the Maghreb except Tunisia, and will return to follow up with one engineering company introduced during the business-to-business (B-2-B) luncheon. The representative from TJJ Architects, who was looking for Tunisian partners to cover the Libya and Algeria markets, plus a French-speaking liaison for business in Haiti, was pleased with his meetings but did not indicate whether he had any solid leads. One of the architecture firms he met with, however, said partnering with American architecture firms would help Tunisian companies enter the Libyan market, as it would raise their profile and cement credibility. Wall Ties and Forms was pleased with the schedule, but did not meet up with the right partners to market their concrete forming systems, which are mostly for middle-income residential use. -------------- Missed Opportunities -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Although the trade mission provided a relatively low-cost, no-hassle addition to the trip (total cost for participants for logistics was $141, hotel was $107/night and all meal costs were folded into events),at least four companies declined the offer to visit Tunisia because they were not given enough advance notice (Bechtel, YSI, UDI, and SSC Medical). (Note: No visa is needed for Americans visiting Tunisia and there are multiple daily direct flights to Algiers. End note.) The Department of Commerce did not forward us the list of participating companies until January 15, and by then many delegates had already purchased plane tickets and booked their schedules. One company, Severn Trent, was set to come but then cancelled last-minute due to a personal emergency. There was a strong interest in Tunisia among the delegates, and some companies who did not come on the mission, such as Harley Davidson and Pratt and Whitney, expressed interest in traveling to Tunisia on their own. GRAY