VZCZCXRO5669
RR RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHAN #0077/01 0231310
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 231310Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANTANANARIVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4210
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0053
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0785
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEPADJ/CJTF-HOA CAMP LEMONIER
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ANTANANARIVO 000077 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/E, S/CT AND INR 
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO PEACE CORPS FOR DIRECTOR TSCHETTER 
CJTF-HOA FOR ADMIRAL HUNT 
ADDIS ABABA FOR AFRICAN UNION 
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2017 
TAGS: PREL PMIL PINR EFIN PGOV PTER EAID KISL CN
SUBJECT: COMOROS PRESIDENT WELCOMES U.S. COOPERATION 
 
REF: A. ANTANANARIVO 0060 
     ¶B. ANTANANARIVO 0053 
 
ANTANANARI 00000077  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee for reasons 1.4 B & D 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  The President of the Union of the Comoros, 
Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, met with the Ambassador January 18 and 
with Peace Corps Director Ronald Tschetter January 19 on the 
margins of the investiture of Madagascar's President Marc 
Ravalomanana (Ref A).  Sambi reaffirmed his desire for 
assistance from the U.S., to include:  a request for military 
induction training for 150 new recruits, assistance in 
observing the three island-level elections in April/May 2007, 
budget support, infrastructure support, and English language 
training.  He also promised continued counter-terrorism 
cooperation and urged the return of an official U.S. presence 
in the Comoros, welcoming a diplomatic presence and/or a 
return of the Peace Corps.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (C) Comoran President Sambi traveled to Madagascar several 
days ahead of Ravalomanana's investiture to conduct outreach 
with the Comoran diaspora, first in Mahajunga and then in the 
capital.  He told the Ambassador that over 2,000 Comorans 
study in Madagascar on renewable - and expensive - one-year 
visas.  The GOC has sought longer-term and lower-cost visas 
for several years, but Madagascar has so far been unwilling, 
due to security concerns and revenue benefits, to change its 
policy.  Sambi's warm words of praise for his "brother" 
Ravalomanana at the post-investiture celebration appeared to 
be part of a charm offensive designed to obtain some movement 
on this issue. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Asked by the Ambassador about the recent labor 
strikes and volcanic eruption in the Comoros (Ref B), Sambi 
said that visiting geologists from the neighboring island of 
Reunion reported the eruption was calming.  He described 
eruptions on a seven-month cycle as the present pattern, 
whereas they had occurred every seven years in the recent 
past.  Regarding the strikes, he said the Ministry of Finance 
had signed an agreement with the taxi operators to repair the 
roads.  Sambi appeared sympathetic with the strikers, but 
pointed out that the fundamental problem was that the Island 
Governments collected the vehicle fees and then expected the 
Union Government to repair the roads. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Sambi further described some of the Island-Union 
tensions.  For example, in the Union constitution, the island 
leaders are called "Chef de l'Executif" whereas they are 
called "President" in the separate island constitutions.  He 
expected all three island "presidents" not to be re-elected 
in the upcoming April/May elections and indicated that he 
would be supporting alternate candidates.  He said the 
parliament had just voted a law requiring all sitting island 
officials to vacate their posts 90 days before the elections 
if they were to be candidates.  He hoped this would reduce 
the power of incumbency.  He had also sent his two Vice 
Presidents to South Africa to meet with President Mbeki in an 
effort to secure international observers for the island 
elections to help ensure free, fair and peaceful elections. 
The Ambassador assured Sambi that the U.S. Mission would send 
some observers from Madagascar but thought it unlikely that 
any Washington-based assistance would be available. 
 
¶5. (C) As part of his effort to dilute island-based loyalties 
and enhance allegiance to the Union, Sambi said he plans to 
expand the Army of National Development (AND) by adding 150 
new recruits.  He hoped to instill new discipline in these 
youth as opposed to the older military leaders, many of whom 
had been corrupted by the Comoros' history of secession and 
coups.  Sambi asked the Ambassador if U.S. military advisors 
might be available for several months to assist in the basic 
training of these new recruits.  The Ambassador promised to 
forward this request to the U.S. military leadership. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Sambi then described the budgetary challenges he 
faces and the international assistance he needs.  He stated 
that the government's entire budget was only USD 60 million, 
of which 65 per cent went to salaries and the other 35 per 
 
ANTANANARI 00000077  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
cent to government operations and payment of foreign debt. 
This leaves his government nothing for development.  Having 
declared 2007 "The Year of Construction" Sambi asked whether 
the U.S. could provide any assistance with heavy equipment - 
brick-making machinery for housing growth, wells and pumps 
for improving water supply, generators for power supply, as 
well as trucks and earth-moving equipment.  The Ambassador 
replied that the U.S. could not provide budget support, but 
might be willing to assist the International Monetary Fund's 
effort at securing debt relief under the Highly Indebted Poor 
Countries Initiative (HIPC).  Regarding the infrastructure 
needs, the Ambassador noted that a Civil Affairs team from 
Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa was preparing to 
engage in rebuilding several schools on the islands.  The 
Ambassador also suggested a continued effort by the Comoros 
to qualify for a Millennium Challenge Account compact. 
 
¶7. (S) Observing that the upheaval in Somalia might lead to 
the dispersal of some of the international terrorists, the 
Ambassador sought Sambi's assurance that the GOC would 
cooperate in apprehending any that might seek shelter in the 
Comoros.  Sambi commented that he had heard the wife of Harun 
Fazul, alleged mastermind of the 1998 Embassy bombings in 
East Africa, had been caught crossing the Kenyan border. 
Sambi said that he thought Fazul himself, though of Comoran 
origin, was unlikely to seek shelter in his homeland. 
However Sambi assured the Ambassador that the Comoros would 
continue cooperating in the effort to monitor for Fazul's 
presence. 
 
¶8. (U) Sambi stressed to the Ambassador that the GOC would 
warmly welcome the return of a permanent U.S. diplomatic 
presence in the Comoros.  In his meeting with Peace Corps 
Director Tschetter, Sambi again laid out the urgency of his 
infrastructure needs.  In addition, he acknowledged how 
important and useful the return of a Peace Corps presence 
might be, especially for teaching English.  Sambi lamented 
that many scholarship opportunities for Comoran students are 
lost because they lack the necessary English language 
qualifications.  Others go abroad on short-term programs but 
then derive only modest benefit due to the language barrier. 
 
¶9. (C) COMMENT.  Sambi appeared relaxed and comfortable in 
his hour-long meeting with the Ambassador.  Perhaps that was 
because he was abroad.  At home, Sambi faces enormous 
difficulties.  Although elected in a landslide, his 
government lacks the resources to deliver on its promises 
and, to judge by the labor strikes he has faced, his 
honeymoon period seems to be ending.  The inter-island 
tensions remain, and these are likely to be exacerbated in 
the run-up to the island elections.  Should these prove to be 
free and fair, and if "president" Bacar of Sambi's home 
island of Anjouan loses, then Sambi may gain some political 
room to focus on his highest priority - the economic 
development of his nation.  Even modest U.S. resources to 
help him achieve this goal would be warmly welcomed.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
McGEE