VZCZCXRO4715
PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA
DE RUEHC #0241/01 3242159
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 202152Z NOV 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHLU/AMEMBASSY LUANDA PRIORITY 1142
INFO RHMCSUU/FAA NATIONAL HQ WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RULSDMK/TRANSPORTATION DEPT WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY 0804
RHMFIUU/TSA HQ WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
ALL AFRICAN DIPLOMATIC POSTS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 120241 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
DOT FOR OST (SMCDERMOTT AND 
JDEBOER) 
DOT FOR OITT (CWILSON-HUNTER) 
TSA FOR OGS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AO EAIR EINV ETRD PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: ANGOLA: TRANSPORT MINISTER'S MEETING WITH  DOT 
SECRETARY LAHOOD 
 
This cable is sensitive but unclassified.  Handle accordingly. 
 
Secretarial-level Meeting 
-------------------------- 
¶1. (SBU) On November 4, 2009, Secretary of Transportation 
Ray LaHood held a thirty-minute meeting with Angola,s 
Minister of Transport Augusto da Silva Tomas.  The Minister 
spoke in great detail and with great enthusiasm (and without 
notes) about Angola,s integrated plan to completely 
restructure 
all aspects of its transportation sector, including aviation, 
rail, 
roads and ports.  Noting his own background as former 
Minister of Finance and former Minister of Trade, Tomas 
emphasized that Angola views transport as a strategic sector 
that can put a full stop to other economic activities or 
propel 
them forward.  Angola sees the necessity of increasing 
mobility 
and wants to move forward rapidly.  He sought cooperation 
with the USG and U.S. firms in all these areas while 
confidently 
making the case for a unified Angolan government intent on 
wholesale restructuring of transportation systems so that 
Angola can take advantage of its geographic location to 
become a center for providing transportation services 
throughout West Africa.  Secretary LaHood responded that 
DOT has expertise in all the areas that Tomas described and 
is fully prepared to explore cooperating with Angola on 
planes, 
trains and automobiles. 
 
Civil Aviation 
------------------ 
¶2. (SBU) Turning to the specific civil aviation sector, Tomas 
said Angola is updating 30 airports, building three new 
international airports and renovating a fourth one.  He 
emphasized that all of the programs Angola is undertaking in 
the civair sector are aimed at renovating all aspects, 
including 
the legal basis, so that Angolan specialized aviation 
agencies 
will be brought into line with the standards of the 
International 
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).  He said Angola,s 
INAVIC (civil aviation authority) and other agencies have 
benefited from cooperation with U.S. and European firms and 
authorities.  He said Angolan aviation law is based on the 
U.S. 
model, which is very advanced for Angola.  He said Angola,s 
goal is to reach international standards on safety and 
security, 
with the immediate interest being to have Delta Air Lines 
start 
its service to Luanda. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Tomas proudly explained that TAAG is the only 
African carrier that, having been placed on the EU 
"blacklist," 
has been able to have itself subsequently taken off the list, 
and 
that he hopes that by February 2010, TAAG will be able to 
expand its European points beyond Lisbon.  (Note:  TAAG 
technically remains on the EU blacklist as it can only serve 
Lisbon on the conditions that the route is operated only by 
TAAG,s new Boeing 777s and that each flight is inspected by 
the EU for compliance with safety procedures.  End Note.) 
 
¶4. (SBU) Angola, Tomas said, is in negotiations with Boeing 
to buy two new 777s so that it can expand service east 
towards Dubai and China and west to Brazil.  He said Angola 
would like to continue and expand its relationship with U.S. 
EXIM bank to help finance this purchase and others for 
primary and secondary radar systems that have a 600 
kilometer range.  He said in the civil aviation sector Angola 
is 
seeking modern equipment to provide for safe and secure 
operations during the day and at night. 
 
 
STATE 00120241  002 OF 003 
 
 
Rail 
----- 
¶5. (SBU) Tomas reported that Angola is renovating/improving 
three of its major national rail lines.  He noted that the 
Bengela 
line improvements will allow copper from Zambia to flow 
through Angola directly to one of its ports.  He said this 
route 
would be about 1,000 kilometers and help Zambia avoid the 
4,000 to 5,000 kilometer journey that copper exports now 
take.  The Democratic Republic of the Congo would also 
benefit from such a route, he said. 
 
Ports 
------- 
¶6. (SBU) Noting the importance of an integrated approach to 
the transport sector, Tomas said port restructuring is 
essential 
to the success of rail line renovation.  Angola is reforming 
the 
ports at Lubitan and Mib, he said, while building a new 
deep-water port at Kabuna. 
 
Roads 
-------- 
¶7. (SBU) Angola has purchased 3,640 new buses and put 
them into service in municipalities and for inter-city 
routes.  In 
addition, Angola has started delivering new taxis to the four 
cities that will be hosting the Africa Cup of Nations soccer 
tournament in January 2010. 
 
Attitude Change 
--------------------- 
¶8. (SBU) Tomas emphasized the changes that Angola has 
brought about since the end of the civil war.  He said Angola 
recognizes its shortcomings and is determined to address 
them.  He cited lack of personnel and technology, along with 
financing shortfalls, as the problems to be overcome.  He 
said Angola has established a new logistical/management 
institute as the start of a solution to personnel shortages. 
The goal, he said, is to modernize 15 parastatal corporations 
so that they deliver quality services in an efficient manner 
and 
contribute to the national GDP.  The institute, he said, 
seeks 
to produce competent graduates, imbued with ethics and a 
sense of responsibility so they can implement the eforms 
already underway. 
 
¶9. (SBU) To solve the technology and financing shortfalls, 
Tomas said Angola welcomes foreign investment and 
cooperation to work alongside Angola,s own capital 
resources.  Tomas assured the Secretary that Angola is deeply 
committed to integrated transport reform and has undertaken 
its efforts only after careful study and appropriate reform 
of 
the legal and institutional foundations of the transportation 
sector. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Secretary LaHood responded by noting that 
Angola has already accomplished a lot in its reform program. 
 He said he, too, wants to see Delta begin flying to Angola 
as 
soon as it is safe and secure to do so and understood that 
security was a priority for Tomas.  He noted that a planned 
follow-on discussion between the minister and his delegation 
and an interagency panel USG experts (Septel) would focus 
on aviation safety and security, but that DOT has expertise 
in 
all the areas of interest to Angola and is prepared to share 
that 
expertise.  State Department rep highlighted Secretary 
Clinton,s recent announcement of a bilateral Strategic 
Partnership Dialogue (SPD) with Angola and the planned 
signing of an SPD arrangement scheduled for November 19. 
Tomas (and Ambassador Pitra Diakite) welcomed the SPD. 
 
Participants 
------------ 
¶11. (SBU) The Angolan participants in the meeting included 
Ambassador Josefina Pitra Diakite; Gaspar Francisco dos 
Santos, Director General, INAVIC; and the interpreter 
Christina Lobo.  The U.S. side included Susan McDermott, 
 
STATE 00120241  003 OF 003 
 
 
DAS for Aviation and International Affairs; Cornelia (Connie) 
Wilson-Hunter, Program Manager, Safe Skies for Africa, DOT; 
Steronica Dunston, DOT/OST; Daniel Moore, Director, Office 
of Transportation Policy, DOS; and John Alvis, interpreter. 
CLINTON