VZCZCXRO5410
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHCO #1149 3251546
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211546Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9015
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/COMUSNAVEUR NAPLES IT
RHMFIUU/AFRICA CTR FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA 0119
RUEHBZ/AMEMBASSY BRAZZAVILLE 0125
RUEHLC/AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE 0486
RUEHLU/AMEMBASSY LUANDA 0133
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 0051
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1007

UNCLAS COTONOU 001149 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W (DBANKS) 
PARIS FOR D'ELIA 
ACCRA FOR DAO 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EWWY MASS ETRD ECON MARR KMCA PGOV PREL BN
SUBJECT: BENIN: MARITIME SAFETY AND SECURITY MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
A SUCCESS 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY:  The Government of Benin hosted a ministerial 
conference on "Maritime Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea" 
in Cotonou on November 13-15. The conference, sponsored by NAVEUR, 
and organized by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS), 
involved ministerial delegations from 11 participating countries 
from Ghana to Angola, including host nation Benin, as well as 
observers from Senegal, South Africa, and the United States. 
Participating ministers committed to implement a number of specific 
measures to improve maritime domain awareness and security.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) A/S Frazer delivered the keynote address during the 
ministerial portion of the conference on November 15, which was also 
attended by NAVEUR Commander Admiral Ulrich, Deputy EUCOM Commander 
General Ward and DASD Whelan. The conference also featured observer 
participation by over 20 US military officers from all service 
branches, the US Coast Guard, and USAID. Beninese MFA official 
Eusebe Agbangla, the GoB's conference organizing committee chairman, 
told PolOff Nov. 15 that he was "very satisfied" with the outcomes 
of the conference and the event itself. 
 
¶3. (U) Expert meetings, held on November 13 and 14, dealt with the 
plethora of challenges facing Gulf of Guinea countries in maritime 
safety and security including piracy, trafficking in persons, 
smuggling of illicit goods including narcotics, protection of 
fishing stocks, and others. In a communique and accompanying action 
plan released at the end of the conference, the participating 
countries resolved to improve maritime domain awareness, strengthen 
regulatory frameworks for maritime safety and security, designate 
national maritime authorities in each country to enhance regional 
cooperation, raise public awareness, engage partners and 
stakeholders, and strengthen political will. 
 
¶4. (U) Delegates and observers to the conference commented favorably 
on the quality of the conference. Specifically, they cited the 
excellent organization and format as well as the academic 
give-and-take discussion of issues. 
 
¶5. (SBU) COMMENT: The Beninese greatly valued this opportunity to 
play host to its neighbors and demonstrate its ability to work 
closely with high-level US officials.  It also caught the attention 
of other donors such as Germany and Egypt, whose local embassies 
have both inquired how they might become more involved in the 
project.  In Benin, as in other countries in the Gulf of Guinea, the 
conference helped highlight the importance of maritime security. 
The Beninese and other African participants still hope, however, 
that this attention to maritime issues will be accompanied by 
external resources to improve maritime awareness.  We will continue 
to reinforce the message of USG speakers and participants in the 
conference to emphasize that several of the initial steps that can 
be taken are low-cost and require just political will more than 
financial resources.  END COMMENT. 
 
BROWN