THE NEW LOOK OF SADC--PRESIDENCY PLANS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GABORONE 005380

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/04
TAGS: PREL SADC MZ ZU
SUBJECT: THE NEW LOOK OF SADC--PRESIDENCY PLANS
AMBITIOUS RESTRUCTURING

REF: GABORONE 4211

CLASSIFIED BY DCM SCOTT DELISI. REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY. THE SECRETARY'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE
TO SADC TRAVELED OCTOBER 11-13 TO MOZAMBIQUE TO CONSULT
WITH GOM OFFICIALS ON SADC MATTERS AND PARTICULARLY ON
MOZAMBIQUE'S ROLE AS CURRENT SADC PRESIDENT. FONMIN
SIMAO AND OTHER GOM OFFICIALS SHARED THEIR AMBITIOUS
PLANS FOR RESTRUCTURING THE ORGANIZATION. THEY WERE
DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE OF USG ENGAGEMENT WITH SADC AND
RESPONSIVE TO OUR CONCERNS THAT RESTRUCTURING NOT LEAD
TO A LESS ACCESSIBLE OR LESS EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATION.
THE MINISTER MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE SADC SUMMIT'S RECENT
DISMISSAL OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY (REFTEL) DOES NOT
NECESSARILY PRESAGE AN EFFORT TO PARE BACK THE ROLE OF
THE SECRETARIAT (AS INITIALLY FEARED). TO THE CONTRARY,
HE SUGGESTED TO US THAT THE SECRETARIAT AND ITS NEW
(YET-TO-BE-APPOINTED) SENIOR EXECUTIVE COULD ULTIMATELY
BE GIVEN BROADER POWERS THAN THOSE THEY CURRENTLY HOLD.
THE GOM IS PROCEEDING SYTEMATICALLY WITH ITS APPROACH TO
RESTRUCTURING AND IS CONSULTING CLOSELY WITH REGIONAL
PARTNERS AND WITH THE SADC SECRETARIAT. THE PROCESS
WILL LIKELY BE A LONGER, AND MORE DIFFICULT, ONE THAN
THE GOM ANTICIPATES. NONETHELESS, IF THE MOZAMBICAN
PRESIDENCY CAN SEE ITS AMBITIOUS AGENDA THROUGH TO A
CONCLUSION--AND CONVINCE OTHER MEMBER STATES TO SHARE
ITS VISION--THE END RESULT COULD WELL PRODUCE A MORE
FOCUSED AND EFFECTIVE INSTITUTION. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) AMBASSADOR ROBERT KRUEGER, US AMBASSADOR TO
BOTSWANA AND THE SECRETARY'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO
THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC),
ACCOMPANIED BY EMBASSY GABORONE DCM SCOTT DELISI,
TRAVELED TO MOZAMBIQUE OCTOBER 11-13. THERE THEY JOINED
AMBASSADOR DEAN CURRAN, EMBASSY MAPUTO DCM ROBERT LOFTIS
AND POLOFF FERGUSON-AUGUSTUS, FOR A SERIES OF MEETINGS
WITH SENIOR GOM OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS A RANGE OF SADC-
RELATED ISSUES. EMBASSY MAPUTO WILL REPORT SEPARATELY
ON MOZAMBIQUE'S VIEWS ON THE TRADE PROTOCOL AND ON
FONMIN SIMAO'S COMMENTS ON THE CONFLICT IN THE DROC AND
MOZAMBIQUE'S ROLE--AS NEW PRESIDENT OF SADC--IN TRYING
TO RESOLVE THAT CONFLICT. IN MEETINGS WITH SIMAO,
HOWEVER, AND WITH MFA DIRECTOR FOR MULTILATERAL ECONOMIC
COOPERATION AND SADC NATIONAL POINT OF CONTACT BELMIRO
MALATE, WE OBTAINED A CLEARER PICTURE OF MOZAMBIQUE'S
VISION FOR A RESTRUCTURED SADC AND OF THE PROCESS
THROUGH WHICH THIS MIGHT BE ACHIEVED.


3. (C) AS A STARTING POINT, BOTH SIMAO AND MALATE
MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE RESTRUCTURING WOULD TAKE A BROAD-
BASED LOOK AT SADC, AND WOULD BEGIN WITH A RESTRUCTURING
OF THE INSTITUTION'S AGENDA ITSELF. MALATE NOTED THAT
TO THIS POINT SADC HAS FOCUSED ON A RANGE OF DIFFERENT
SECTORAL ACTIVITIES (E.G. ENVIRONMENT, AGRICULTURE,
TOURISM, ETC.) WHICH HAD NEITHER VISIBLE
INTERCONNECTIVITY NOR ANY MUTUALLY SUPPORTIVE GOALS.
SADC MEMBER STATES, HE ARGUED, MUST FIRST AGREE UPON AN
IDENTIFIED SET OF PRIORITY GOALS AND THEN REASSESS
ACTIVITIES IN EACH SECTOR TO ENSURE THAT SECTORAL
PROGRAMS SUPPORTED AND ADVANCED THE BROADER
INSTITUTIONAL GOALS.


4. (C) THE FOREIGN MINISTER SAID THAT THE GOM WAS
PREPARING A PAPER FOR DISCUSSION BY MEMBER STATES WHICH
COULD LEAD TO DEFINITION OF SADC'S NEW AGENDA AND GOALS.
THE SECRETARIAT IN GABORONE REPORTS AS WELL THAT IT HAS
BEEN IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH THE GOM, PROVIDING VARIOUS
POSITION PAPERS ON SADC STRUCTURAL ISSUES. ALTHOUGH THE
SECRETARIAT REMAINS CAUTIOUS GIVEN THAT ITS PREVIOUS
RECOMMENDATIONS ON RESTRUCTURING WERE REJECTED BY THE
SADC SUMMIT IN MAURITIUS IN SEPTEMBER 1998 IT HAS
APPARENTLY OFFERED THE PRESIDENCY SOME OF THE SAME
PROPOSALS FOR A MORE TIGHTLY STRUCTURED ORGANIZATION.
ACCORDING TO FOREIGN MINISTER SIMAO, THE DISTRIBUTION OF
THE PAPER WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A "SEMINAR" AT WHICH
MEMBER STATES WILL JOIN WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF REGIONAL
THINK TANKS, DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS, AND OTHERS TO DISCUSS
THE ALTERNATIVES FOR THE RESTRUCTURED SADC.


5. (C) BOTH SIMAO AND MALATE WERE RESPONSIVE TO OUR
CONCERNS THAT IN THE PROCESS OF RESTRUCTURING SADC NOT
LOSE ITS INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY. THERE MUST, WE
COMMENTED, BE AN INSTITUTIONAL ENTITY CAPABLE OF
REPRESENTING SADC EFFECTIVELY IN ITS INTERACTIONS WITH
DONORS, INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND
OTHERS. MOREOVER, WE URGED THAT RESTRUCTURING ALSO TAKE
INTO ACCOUNT THE NEED FOR CLEARLY DEFINED ROLES FOR THE
SECRETARIAT, THE PRESIDENCY, SECTORAL COORDINATING UNITS
AND MEMBER STATES AND ESTABLISHED LINES OF AUTHORITY
BETWEEN THEM. SIMAO AGREED, NOTING THAT THE CHALLENGE
HAS BEEN IN PART THAT THE MEMBER STATES HAVE NO PREVIOUS
EXPERIENCE OF THIS SORT OF PARTNERSHIP WITH EACH OTHER
OR WITH OUTSIDERS. AT PRESENT, HE URGED US TO CONTINUE
OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH SADC ACROSS AS BROAD A FRONT AS
POSSIBLE--WITH THE SECRETARIAT, WITH HIM AS CHAIRMAN OF
THE COUNCIL OF THE MINISTERS, AND WITH SECTORAL
COORDINATORS. HE ADVISED THAT WE "KEEP LOOSE" AND NOT
FIX RIGID APPROACHES TO SADC AT PRESENT BUT PROMISED
THAT A DEFINED STRUCTURE WAS COMING.


6. (C) IN REASSESSING SADC'S STRUCTURE ALONG WITH ITS
AGENDA SIMAO AND MALATE BOTH HINTED THAT THEY ENVISIONED
A STRONGER SECRETARIAT, POSSIBLY CREATING A SECRETARY
GENERAL POSITION TO REPLACE THE RECENTLY DISMISSED
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY. SIMAO NOTED THAT ORIGINALLY SADC
MEMBER STATES HAD WANTED TO AVOID CREATION OF A LARGE
SECRETARIAT WITH A POTENTIALLY COSTLY BUREAUCRACY THAT
WOULD DRAIN FUNDS AWAY FROM DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.
EQUALLY, HE ACKNOWLEDGED, MEMBER STATES FEARED AN OVERLY
STRONG SECRETARIAT WOULD REDUCE THE ROLE FOR MEMBER
STATES. NOW, HOWEVER, HE SAID SADC MUST RE-EXAMINE THE
QUESTION OF THE LEVEL OF EMPOWERMENT OF THE SECRETARIAT.
MALATE HAD ALSO OBSERVED EARLIER IN THE DAY THAT IN THE
PROCESS SADC MUST ALSO MORE CLEARLY ADDRESS THE
INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE SECRETARIAT AND THE
PRESIDENCY. HE FELT THAT CLOSER TIES WERE NEEDED AND
NOTED THAT UNDER THE GOM THE PRESIDENCY WAS ALREADY MORE
CLOSELY ENGAGED WITH THE SECRETARIAT.


7. (C) A SIMILAR PROCESS OF REDEFINITION WILL CONTINUE
WITH THE ORGAN FOR POLITICS, DEFENSE AND SECURITY, THE
CHAIRMANSHIP OF WHICH IS CURRENTLY HELD BY ZIMBABWE.
AS HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED BY EMBASSY MBABANE,
MALATE NOTED THAT THE MEETING OF THE INTERSTATE DEFENSE
AND SECURITY COMMITTEE IN MBABANE AT THE END OF THE
MONTH WOULD HOPEFULLY LEAD TO A MORE PRECISELY DEFINED
ROLE FOR THE ORGAN AND GREATER CLARITY CONCERNING ITS
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PRESIDENCY. MALATE NOTED THAT THE
MEETING WOULD LIKELY BE BROADER THAN THE NORMAL ISDSC
GATHERINGS AND WOULD INCLUDE NOT ONLY MILITARY CHIEFS
AND DEFENSE MINISTERS BUT REPRESENTATIVES FROM FOREIGN
AFFAIRS, INTERIOR, OR OTHER NATIONAL MINISTRIES DEALING
WITH POLITICAL, DEFENSE OR SECURITY ISSUES. HE HOPED
THAT THE DISCUSSIONS MIGHT LEAD TO A RESTRUCTURING OF
THE AGENDA FOR THE ORGAN SIMILAR TO THAT PLANNED FOR
SADC AS A WHOLE. HE NOTED THAT A SOUTH AFRICAN NGO,
ACCORD, HAD BEEN SELECTED TO CONDUCT A SEMINAR TO LOOK
MORE CLOSELY AT THE APPROPRIATE ROLE FOR THE ORGAN.


8. (C) SIMAO ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE RESTRUCTURING
PROCESS WOULD BE TIME CONSUMING AND MIGHT NOT BE FULLY
COMPLETED PRIOR TO THE END OF MOZAMBIQUE'S ONE YEAR IN
THE PRESIDENCY (OF WHICH 10 MONTHS REMAIN). ALMOST
CERTAINLY, THE PROCESS WILL NOT BE COMPLETED WITHIN THE
6-MONTH TIMEFRAME MANDATED BY THE MAPUTO SUMMIT IN
AUGUST. SIMAO HOPED, HOWEVER, THAT IT WOULD BE
SUFFICIENTLY WELL LAUNCHED THAT MOZAMBIQUE'S SUCCESSOR
IN THE PRESIDENCY, NAMIBIA, WOULD BRING IT TO A
SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION IF NECESSARY. HE INFORMED US,
HOWEVER, THAT IN THE INTERIM, HE DID NOT ANTICIPATE
PROCEEDING WITH EFFORTS TO SELECT A NEW SENIOR EXECUTIVE
FOR SADC. HE THOUGHT THAT THE ACTING EXECUTIVE
SECRETARY, DR. PREGA RAMSAMY, WOULD LIKELY BE LEFT IN
THAT ROLE UNTIL SUCH TIME AS BOTH SADC'S AGENDA AND THE
ROLE OF THE SECRETARIAT AND ITS LEADERSHIP HAD BEEN
FULLY REVIEWED.


9. (C) COMMENT: THE APPROACH PROPOSED BY SIMAO AND
MALATE REFLECTS THE CAREFUL CONSIDERATION AND
SERIOUSNESS OF PURPOSE WITH WHICH THEY TAKE MOZAMBIQUE'S
ROLE AS SADC'S PRESIDENT. HOWEVER, WHILE OTHER MEMBER
STATES AGREE THAT STRUCTURAL REFORM OF SADC IS
NECESSARY, WHETHER THEY WILL ALSO ULTIMATELY SHARE
MOZAMBIQUE'S VISION OF WHAT FORM THAT REFORM SHOULD TAKE
REMAINS TO BE SEEN. MEANWHILE, THE PROCESS OUTLINED BY
SIMAO WILL LIKELY BE TIME CONSUMING, POTENTIALLY COSTLY,
AND MORE EASILY CONCEPTUALIZED THAN IMPLEMENTED.
MOZAMBIQUE, AS SADC PRESIDENT, MUST ALSO BE ABLE TO
MARSHALL THE RESOURCES TO OVERCOME THE BUREAUCRATIC
HURDLES AND LOGISTICAL LOGJAMS THAT WILL ACCOMPANY THIS
EFFORT TO ENSURE A BROAD POLICY DIALOGUE. WE WILL WANT
TO SUPPORT THE PROCESS AS BEST WE CAN IN HOPES THAT SADC
WILL EMERGE A MORE FOCUSED AND MORE EFFECTIVE
INSTITUTION. THE REAL WORK, HOWEVER, WILL REST WITH THE
SADC MEMBER STATES. WE HOPE THEY ARE UP TO THE TASK.

KRUEGER