Namibian Foreign Minister Discusses MINURCAT, SADC

C O N F I D E N T I A L WINDHOEK 000025 SIPDIS FOR MCC, STATE FOR AF/S AND AF/RSA AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE PASS TO AMEMBASSY MALABO E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/18 TAGS: PREL PGOV AU KPKO KMCA WA CD SUBJECT: Namibian Foreign Minister Discusses MINURCAT, SADC REF: A: 09 WINDHOEK 397; B: 09 WINDHOEK 453 CLASSIFIED BY: Emily Plumb, Political Officer, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy Windhoek; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (SBU) Summary. On February 17, Ambassador paid a New Year courtesy call on Minister of Foreign Affairs Marco Hausiku. Hausiku offered his views on Namibia's contribution to the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) in light of Chad's President Deby's call to end the peacekeeping operation's mandate. He also summarized Namibia's agenda as the new Southern African Development Community (SADC) chair. The Foreign Minister was pleased to hear that the USG hopes to restart the African Contingent Operations Training and Assistance program (ACOTA) for the National Defense Forces (NDF) as well as to learn about the progress being made to implement Namibia's Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact. End Summary. -------------- Committed to MINURCAT -------------- ¶2. (C ) Ambassador called upon Foreign Minister Hausiku on February 17 to solicit his views on a variety of topics, including his read-out of the recent AU Summit in Addis Ababa. Hausiku reported that he was impressed by the turnout of heads of state and government and pleased that SADC's objective had been achieved with the election of President Mutharika as AU chair. In April, Namibia will join the organization's Peace and Security Council, he said. Ambassador inquired about Namibia's intentions to send peacekeepers to MINURCAT given Deby's recent decision to end the operation's mandate and request the withdrawal of UN peacekeeping troops. Hausiku replied that based on Deby's repeated requests for international assistance during past AU summits, Namibia had decided in 2009 to contribute troops to MINURCAT (ref A). That decision was made public in the Namibian press this week after the cabinet formally approved the measure, he noted. Hausiku himself was not convinced by the sincerity of Deby's calls for MINURCAT to depart. "These are times when the international community should be steadfast when intervention is necessary. I'm sure deep in (Deby's) heart he knows he cannot stand alone," he opined. He also suggested that Namibia was trying to clarify Deby's position. 
 ¶3. (C) Ambassador applauded Namibia's decision to press forward and asserted it would be premature for MINURCAT to begin a March withdrawal. She added that only after the situation in Chad and Sudan stabilizes could a gradual and orderly drawdown be considered. Hausiku agreed, "Maybe some people get used to problems, but I would not do this if I were (Deby)." Ambassador inquired as to the location(s) where Namibian peacekeepers would be deployed, but Hausiku declined to venture a response. -------------- SADC Agenda -------------- ¶4. (C) According to Hausiku, Namibia has already identified some priorities for its tenure as SADC chair. The SADC agenda will be coordinated by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and security bodies will take the lead on peace and security issues, he stated. The Foreign Minister referred to several "sticking points," namely Zimbabwe and Madagascar, that needed to be addressed, but he offered no details as to how Namibia would take action. He claimed Namibia would not leave issues to fester, however. ¶5. (C) Hausiku said that Namibia also plans to focus on harmonizing procedures for conducting elections in SADC countries, including during the pre-electoral period and the acceptance of results. Hausiku believes Namibia can be a leader in this area, noting his country has the "courage" to take up election challenges quickly. Referring to the ongoing legal battle over the results of the November 2009 general elections by nine Namibian opposition parties (ref B),Hausiku explained that the government is closely "watching itself" so as to either accept the election results or ensure that proper legal procedures are followed. Ambassador took the opportunity to commend Namibia for allowing the judicial process to move forward and remarked that this was part of the process of a maturing democracy and not a blemish on Namibia's record. Hausiku said that President Pohamba has declared that whatever the court decides will be respected, although, he added, the ruling party believes the elections were indeed free and fair. -------------- ACOTA and MCC -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Ambassador informed Hausiku that a Department of Defense official would visit Namibia in the coming weeks to discuss resumption of the ACOTA program to train peacekeepers (ref A). Hausiku said he would notify the Minister of Defense, whom he assured has an "open mind" when it comes to training. Ambassador also told Hausiku that the USG would be conducting additional demining training in March at the request of the police and NDF. ¶7. (SBU) The Foreign Minister asked for an update on the MCC Compact. Ambassador replied that the implementation was proceeding smoothly. The equipment needed for the road infrastructure upgrade project in Etosha National Park would soon arrive. On the education side, much-needed math, science and English text books would be delivered in the coming weeks. Hausiku was pleased with the updates and noted that he hoped his colleagues in the Ministry of Education would do their part to explain to students the importance of taking care of their new text books. (Note. Due to a severe shortage of text books and educational materials, it is not uncommon for as many as five Namibian students to share the same book. End note.) -------------- Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) Based on the Foreign Minister's remarks, it appears certain that Namibia will follow through on its plans to contribute peacekeepers to MINURCAT soon despite Deby's statements. As SADC chair, Namibia will most likely make no waves in addressing the state of play in Zimbabwe. Despite President Pohamba's insistence that the ruling party supports the court's role in determining the election's outcome, more hard-line, senior members of the SWAPO party have not been as supportive. Thus, Post will continue to underscore our message that the judicial process must be allowed to fully play out. MATHIEU