VZCZCXRO8931
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHCO #0389/01 1491241
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291241Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9537
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP
RUCOWCA/COGARD MIO EUROPE ROTTERDAM NL
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCOCGA/COMLANTAREA COGARD PORTSMOUTH VA
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1100

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COTONOU 000389 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W (DBANKS) 
PARIS FOR D'ELIA 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAID EINV ETRD EWWT PGOV KHLS PTER BN
SUBJECT: BENIN: DELIVERY OF DEMARCHE ON COMPLIANCE WITH THE ISPS 
CODE 
 
REF: (A) STATE 59359; (B) BONE-ANKI DOSSO LETTER AND ATTACHED USCG 
 
ISPS EVALUATION TEAM REPORT 
 
COTONOU 00000389  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: Ambassador delivered REF A demarche to the Minister of 
Transportation and Public Works and to the Acting Secretary General 
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, respectively, on May 21, 2007. 
The Government of Benin and the Port of Cotonou now have ninety days 
to address the deficiencies outlined in the demarche and meet the 
minimum requirements of the International Ship and Port Facility 
Security (ISPS) Code, or ships having visited Cotonou will face 
additional requirements prior to entry to a U.S. port.  The GoB 
officials understood the seriousness of the issue, and pledged to 
take the necessary actions.  Post supports proposals for a follow-up 
visit by US Coast Guard Liaison officer in forty-five days.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
DELIVERY OF ISPS DEMARCHE AND EVALUATION REPORT 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. On May 21, 2007, the Ambassador personally delivered REF A 
demarche and REF B report to Mr. Richard Senou, Benin's Minister of 
Transport and Public Works, in his office. The Director of the Port 
Authority and the Director of the Merchant Marine also attended the 
meeting. The Ambassador advised the Minister that Benin has 90 days, 
running from May 21, 2007, to address the ISPS Code's minimum 
requirements, if U.S.-bound vessels from Benin are to avoid 
additional conditions of entry from the USCG. 
 
¶3. The Ambassador also delivered REF A demarche to the acting 
Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Mr. 
 
SIPDIS 
Isidore Bio, on May 21, 2007.  Post followed up this meeting with a 
diplomatic note dated May 22, 2007, to the MFA covering a copy of 
both the demarche and the REF B report, as requested by Mr. Bio. 
 
¶4. On May 10 and May 14, 2007, the DCM met with the Director of the 
Merchant Marine and the Director General of the Port, respectively, 
to share copies of the REF B ISPS evaluation report, upon which the 
REF A demarche is based.  Acting MCC Country Director Randy Wood 
also attended the May 10 meeting with the Merchant Marine. 
 
¶5. In all of these meetings, Post has stressed to the Beninese 
authorities that the measures required to meet the ISPS minimums do 
not require large financial investments. The critical factor is the 
administrative capacity and will to enforce measures such as 
tightened access controls and systematic security training for port 
personnel. 
 
PROSPECTS FOR BENIN'S RESPONSE 
------------------------------ 
 
¶6. In reaction to the presentation of the demarche, Minister Senou 
said that he is appreciative of the U.S. mission's approach and 
stressed that he is aware of the situation.  He added that President 
Boni Yayi, the Council of Ministers, including himself, and the 
entire GoB are in total harmony with the recommendations outlined in 
the REF B report, as compliance with the ISPS Code is one of his top 
priorities. He said that an action plan to address the reports 
recommendations had already been established, and effective measures 
would start taking shape within one month.  He promised that the 
port would be compliant with the code by the 90-day deadline. 
 
¶7. A May 22 visit of USN Vice Admiral Stufflebeam and USCG Vice 
Admiral Peterman offered an excellent opportunity to re-enforce the 
importance of ISPS compliance (septel).  In his meeting with the 
Vice Admirals, Minister Senou re-emphasized his determination to 
address all of the deficiencies identified.  Port officials also 
welcomed the opportunity for additional working sessions with USCG 
LtCdr Rob Keith to discuss specific measures the Port must take. 
 
¶8. COMMENT:  The GoB officials clearly take seriously the 
possibility of Cotonou's inclusion on a port security watch list, 
and it's consequences for the Port's operations.  Post assessment is 
that it is possible that the Port will be able to meet the ISPS 
requirements before the 90-day deadline, but that it will require 
greater attention than the Port has to date applied to ISPS issues. 
While we have been disappointed by the Port's failure during the 
past eight months to address the problems discovered by the August 
2006 evaluation team, the Port authorities have taken some steps, 
including efforts to issue ID cards to authorized port users, and to 
institute fines for trucks staying longer than 24 hours in the 
port. 
 
 
COTONOU 00000389  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
ASSESSMENT OF IMPACT IF ISPS STANDARDS NOT MET 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶9.  The volume of trade between the US and Benin is very low, so the 
practical impact on the Port of Cotonou of additional conditions of 
entry for vessels sailing to the U.S. is unclear.  Our understanding 
is that only a small percentage of vessels calling on Cotonou enter 
a U.S. port within there next five port calls.  Therefore, shipping 
volumes in the Port would be significantly reduced only if shippers 
viewed Cotonou's listing as a signal of general security problems, 
and chose not to use the port to avoid potential hassles. 
 
¶10. The U.S. has a relatively large trade surplus with Benin, within 
the overall low volumes.  For the past few years, the vast majority 
of U.S.-Benin trade has been exports of used vehicles from the U.S. 
to Benin, as car dealers responded to the shift in exchange rates in 
the dollar and European currencies.  Therefore, one practical impact 
of stiffer security procedures for vessels sailing between Benin and 
the U.S. could be, ironically, to diminish U.S. exports to Benin, as 
the used car trade might shift back toward Europe. 
 
¶11.  The other, and from the Beninese perspective potentially more 
serious impact, is that failure to comply with ISPS standards could 
delay implementation of the Millennium Challenge Compact's 
activities in the Port.  Under the Compact, compliance with ISPS is 
a "condition precedent" for activities currently planned in Year 3 
of the Compact.  While this impact would not be as immediate as the 
Coast Guard's measures (the MCC Compact is currently in Year 1), the 
amounts of money involved are significantly greater than the 
bilateral trade amounts. 
 
BROWN