VZCZCXRO9818
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0666 0741612
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151612Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1898
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHKU/AMEMBASSY KUWAIT 0001
RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA 0005

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000666 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON SOCI PREL KU QA SU
SUBJECT:  Kuwaiti Kismit:  Juba's 5-Star Hotel, Port, and 
Fisheries Projects Touted 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  A 5-star destination resort rises from the 
dusty streets of Juba.  A modern port handles 15,000 tons 
of cargo a month while the tourists at the neighboring 
harbor enjoy a bite to eat and some shopping before 
taking a pleasure cruise on the Nile.  This is the future 
of Juba, according to Kuwaiti development company Al- 
Masoud, which formed the Sudanese Kuwaiti Company 
(SUKAIT) and is investing over USD 120 million to make 
this a reality.  Kuwait has long enjoyed strong relations 
with the south, and at a cornerstone-laying ceremony on 
March 11, presided over by Bahr al-Jabal Governor Clement 
Wani Konga, Kuwait showed its continuing commitment to 
Southern Sudan.  A fisheries project in Terekaka, north 
of Juba, is also part of the development plans.  The 
target for completion is the end of 2007 (Comment: It 
would be impressive, however, if the foundations were 
laid by 2007.  End Comment.)  End Summary. 
 
------------------------ 
A Hotel Unlike Any Other 
------------------------ 
 
¶2.  At an event attended by both Kuwait's and Qatar's 
ambassadors to Sudan, the Kuwait-based Al-Masoud 
development company unveiled a large model and beautiful 
drawings that depicted a 5-star destination resort in the 
heart of "downtown" Juba.  To be built on the site of the 
1920's-era Juba Hotel, still in use but in virtual ruins, 
the new hotel will feature landscaped grounds, two 
swimming pools, an artificial lake, 400 rooms, 30 luxury 
suites, and 30 bungalows.  Built in the Kenyan safari- 
style, the most distinctive architectural features are 10 
towering, Olympic-flame type torches ringing the complex. 
The state government said it was in talks with Hilton to 
run the resort. 
 
--------------------- 
Major Port and Harbor 
--------------------- 
 
¶3.  The port will have a capacity of 15,000 tons per 
month and be able to store over 500 containers.  The 
facilities will also feature warehouses, climate- 
controlled storage, a fuel dock and liquid storage 
containers, and a dry dock repair facility for barges. 
Next to the port will be a tourist harbor facility with 
shops, restaurants, and amenities for both pleasure 
cruises and passenger trips to destinations like Bor, 
Malakal, and Kosti.  The total cost for the complex will 
be around USD $40 million.  The port drawings and a model 
-- which featured little motorized cranes loading and 
unloading tiny containers -- showed a thoroughly modern 
facility built in a curvy, Miami art-deco style.  Kuwait- 
based Al-Hamadah will provide logistical support for the 
port. 
 
---------------------- 
All This and Fish, Too 
---------------------- 
 
¶4.  The third, and least ambitious, project was a fish 
processing, canning, and storage facility at Terekaka, a 
small village halfway between Juba and Bor on the Nile. 
There were no models or drawings, however, showing the 
Terekaka fish plant.  Incidentally, Terekaka is the 
hometown of Clement Wani Konga, Governor of Bahr al-Jabal 
state. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Kuwait and Southern Sudan: Old Friends 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  Kuwait has a long history of cooperation with 
Southern Sudan.  When a southern government was 
established in 1972, Kuwait was the first country to set 
up a consulate in Juba.  Throughout the 70s, Kuwait was 
involved in a variety of development projects, including 
a housing development in Juba now know as Hi-Kuwait. 
When Kuwait was invaded in 1991, Sudan was one of the few 
countries to side with Iraq.  At the same time, John 
Garang and the SPLM donated money for relief during the 
war and offered to send laborers to help with 
reconstruction.  The government in Khartoum was able to 
prevent Southern Sudanese workers from going to Kuwait, 
but the ties of friendship continued.  At the ceremony, 
the son of Muath Al-Fuhaid, Chairman of SUKAIT, also 
donated USD 50,000 to the children of Southern Sudan. 
 
HUME