VZCZCXYZ0015
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLGB #0295/01 0811423
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221423Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3937

UNCLAS KIGALI 000295 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON KPAO PREL SCUL RW
SUBJECT: POWELL/MCCORMICK DELEGATION MEETS PRESIDENT 
KAGAME, REVIEWS USG ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS 
 
¶1. On Tuesday, March 6, Deputy National Security Advisor 
for International Economic Affairs, David McCormick and 
Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, 
Dina Habib Powell met President Kagame.  The duo was 
accompanied by members of their traveling party and 
Ambassador Arietti. 
 
¶2. McCormick began by expressing President Bush's continued 
commitment to achieving a successful conclusion of the 
WTO's Doha Round.  McCormick also expressed his gratitude 
for the positive role Rwanda has played in the negotiations 
and thanked President Kagame for his leadership on the 
issue.  President Kagame responded by noting that Rwanda 
has tried to play a constructive role at the WTO in 
bringing parties to a consensus; in the process, he said, 
Rwanda has sometimes come under fire from all quarters. 
 
¶3. McCormick then noted that the USG continues to believe 
that the establishment of a Bilateral Investment Treaty 
would be helpful in attracting further private investment 
to Rwanda and that the USG is committed to working on that 
with the GOR.  The GOR's economic reform program, as 
reflected in the country's positive marks in the World 
Bank's "Doing Business in Africa," is, McCormick said, the 
best way to promote economic development and should be 
commended. 
 
¶4. McCormick closed by noting that the German Government, 
as host of this year's G-8 summit, has established two 
primary topics for the meting: global economic growth and 
ensuring that the underlying factors that drive economic 
development are in place in African countries.  McCormick 
welcomed feedback from the GOR on how this issue can be 
moved forward.  President Kagame welcomed the G-8's move to 
give more relevance to Africa and noted that there was much 
work to be done on both sides to ensure that development 
takes root in Africa.  While African nations need to do 
more to "deserve" the G-8's support, partners in the 
developed world also need to pay more attention to the 
particular need of Africa.  Kagame noted that some people's 
sense of injustice arising from underdevelopment can lead 
to insecurity.  This is an issue, he said, that can be 
addressed through discussions such as those being proposed 
for the G-8 Summit. 
 
¶5. A/S Powell noted that it was encouraging to see first 
hand the excellent leadership President Kagame is providing 
Rwanda and commented that her delegation had a strong 
interest in promoting public-private partnerships.  She 
then inquired what sectors could be targeted for such 
partnerships to help Rwanda in its next phase of economic 
recovery and development.  President Kagame responded by 
noting that the private sector is the key to Rwanda's 
economic growth but that the private sector in the country 
was starting from a very small base.  Kagame then noted 
that Rwanda is looking forward to broadening partnerships 
with foreign investors in a range of sectors, including 
tourism, energy, infrastructure, and agri-business.  Kagame 
added that Google is still exploring the possibility of 
making Rwanda a regional hub, and that Alltel, Cisco, and 
Sun Microsystems all have been involved to some degree in 
Rwanda. 
 
¶6. President Kagame went on to highlight the success of 
USAID's work in the specialty coffee sector as a clear 
example of how improving local knowledge and linking local 
communities to the outside world can improve lives.  In one 
or two years, he suggested, Rwanda should be able to export 
all of its coffee washed, which would add greater value to 
the product. 
 
¶7. Ambassador Arietti noted the USG's continued commitment 
to identifying further such areas of cooperation.  For 
instance, the Embassy would examine the possibility of 
helping to develop Rwanda's pyrethrum processing capability 
so that at least a portion of the compound used for 
residual indoor spraying under the President's Malaria 
Initiative could be sourced locally. 
 
¶8. President Kagame closed by noting that human capacity 
building is very critical and is a potential area for 
greater collaboration. 
 
¶9. While in Rwanda, McCormick also traveled to the Gako 
Training Academy to review Rwanda's ACOTA program.  At 
Gako, McCormick received a briefing on training currently 
being received by Rwandan troops slated for rotation to the 
Darfur region of Sudan as part of the AU's mission. 
 
¶10. Apart from the meeting with President Kagame, the focal 
point of A/S Powell's first day in Rwanda was a visit to 
the FAWE Girl's School, where she announced a new exchange 
 
program that will permit approximately 20 Rwandan students 
and five Rwandan teachers Q travel to the United States 
for a period of three to four weeks to examine civic 
education and leadership development programs for American 
students.  The Assistant Secretary also visited a USAID- 
sponsored reconciliation and team-building project.  The 
entire delegation rounded out their day with a briefing by 
religious leaders, who discussed faith-based reconciliation 
initiatives, and a reception in honor of ECA exchange 
program alumni and prominent members of the American 
community in Rwanda. 
 
¶11. Day two of the delegation's visit included a visit to 
an orphans and vulnerable children program and neighboring 
community center funded through PEPFAR, and a trip to the 
Butare region to meet with coffee farmers who have 
benefited from USAID's support for the specialty coffee 
sector. 
 
¶12. Media interest in the party's visit was high.  The 
Assistant Secretary's exchange program announcement was 
front page news in Rwanda's only daily newspaper, and 
Rwandan TV and radio covered every event on the 
delegation's program. 
 
¶13.  This cable has been cleared by A/S Powell. 
 
Arietti