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FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
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INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHOR/AMEMBASSY GABORONE 5041
RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 4451
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRETORIA 001982 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/23/2017 
TAGS: SADC PREL ETRD ECON POL SF
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR CANAVAN REENGAGES SADC MEMBERS 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Donald Teitelbaum.  Reasons 1.4(b) and 
 (d). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY.  As part of the Department's efforts to 
reengage with the Southern African Development Community, 
U.S. Ambassador to Botswana Katherine Canavan and PolEcon 
Chief Charles Stonecipher on 21 May held discussions in 
Pretoria with SADC's resident diplomatic corps and SAG 
officials to elicit suggestions for U.S. reengagement. 
Responses were cordial, but ranged from grateful to slightly 
suspicious, with three key themes emerging.  First, 
infrastructure and capacity-building came out strongly in 
every meeting as two of SADC's greatest needs.  Second, SADC 
member countries asked that the U.S. give them time to audit 
their needs, ranging from trade and development to education, 
peace, and security.  Third, SADC members who met with 
Ambassador Canavan indirectly expressed their frustration 
with South Africa's dominance within SADC.  END SUMMARY. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
SADC Diplomats Grateful, But Need Time 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Embassy Pretoria hosted a roundtable with diplomatic 
representatives accredited to South Africa from Botswana, 
Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, and Zambia.  After a briefing from 
Ambassador Canavan on the reengagement process, and a request 
to hear their views on how best to proceed, all High 
Commissioners and Counselors relayed their sincere 
appreciation for the consultation.  They asked that the U.S. 
give SADC members time to examine strategically the 
organization's needs, which would allow a more thoughtful and 
complete response.  (Note: PolOff overheard the Lesotho High 
Commissioner tell the Malawian High Commissioner on their way 
out of the Embassy that they should take up Ambassador 
Canavan's offer and perform an audit of SADC needs at their 
next SADC meeting.  END NOTE)  Fearing that South Africa's 
budget surplus this year may affect U.S. perceptions of SADC 
countries, the Zambian High Commissioner also emphasized that 
"South Africa is not Africa; Africa is poor while South 
Africa pretends it's not poor." 
 
¶3. (C) Reflecting on possible U.S. roles, the Lesotho and 
Zambian High Commissioners both expressed gratitude for the 
educational opportunities the U.S. has afforded southern 
African countries over the years, but expressed 
disappointment that the U.S. has cut back on these 
significantly in recent years.  (Note: The HC from Lesotho 
attended Tuskegee Institute from 1986-88 and the Zambian High 
Commissioner currently has two children studying at U.S. 
universities. END NOTE).  The Zambian High Commissioner also 
suggested that the U.S. could assist in resolving border 
demarcation disputes between SADC countries by providing 
satellite-based geo-positioning equipment and expertise. 
 
-------------------------------- 
DTI: FOCUS ON DONOR SHORTCOMINGS 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Ambassador Canavan met with South African Department 
of Trade and Industry's (DTI) Director for SADC, Mr. Hennie 
Erasmus, to discuss regional trade issues, and to explain 
current U.S. plans for assisting SADC monitor trade agreement 
compliance between member states.  The trade compliance 
monitoring project will include the creation of a website to 
make data available to all parties.  Erasmus commented that 
the monitoring database would be useful, but was skeptical 
how such a system would work and who would manage it.  He 
said he lacked confidence that the economic and trade staffs 
at SADC as well as in member capitols could productively 
manage and utilize systems of this sort.  Moreover, SADC is 
currently amending its protocols and creating a dispute 
resolution tribunal, though neither have been approved or 
implemented.  According to Erasmus, this and other 
operational capacity constraints have created a vacuum for 
trade disputes, in which there is no formal mechanism to 
facilitate resolution.  This has resulted in Ministers 
"hashing out" problems as they arise, often without any 
positive outcome.  In the end, he said that the database 
could provide an avenue for resolving this problem and 
approved of the idea, especially coupled with the use of a 
monitoring unit with full responsibility.  However, he also 
cautioned that without protocols and regulations in place to 
deal with unresolved procedures, the database may be 
premature. 
 
¶5. (C) In regard to the trade framework, Erasmus suggested 
 
PRETORIA 00001982  002 OF 003 
 
 
that all parties should take stock of current 
and past International Cooperating Partner (ICP) projects. 
The EU, in particular, has assisted with trade 
so there are projects currently underway that no longer need 
funding assistance.  He suggested the U.S. 
should focus on gaps in assistance, and suggested areas that 
could include non-trade barriers and 
industrial development in key sectors such as tourism, 
services, and transportation.  Capacity building 
within SADC was also cited as an issue, but Erasmus explained 
that short-term training of a few 
individuals will not cure the problem.  A more creative 
long-term training strategy is needed to avoid 
individuals using the training to market themselves and move 
into more lucrative private employment, 
leaving SADC again without skilled employees.  Erasmus, on 
behalf of DTI, said he would get back to 
Ambassador Canavan with any SAG suggestions for regional 
infrastructure, development, or other projects 
in which the U.S. could reengage and assist SADC. 
 
--------------------------------- 
DFA REVEALS WIDE INTEREST IN SADC 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Department of Foreign Affairs Director for SADC, Mr. 
Ghulam Asmal, appeared hesitant to discuss ideas for SADC 
reengagement outside official SADC channels, which was 
probably partly due to his recent arrival on the desk, but 
also a reflection of South Africa's hypersensitivity to other 
countries' views of its dominance in the region.  Asmal also 
questioned the timing of U.S. interest in reengagement, 
telling Ambassador Canavan that the EU, China, and India have 
all been extremely pro-active in getting involved recently, 
and implying that there must be some unspoken reason for this 
flurry of interest in SADC.  Mr. Short, DFA Director for 
NEPAD (and who was Mr. Asmal's predecessor) was in contrast 
extremely informative and open to reengagement.  Short added 
that operationally, it is difficult from the vantage point of 
the foreign ministry to make strong policy recommendations 
regarding SADC because most SADC issues for the region are 
trade, infrastructure, and customs-related and are usually 
assigned to trade and finance ministries.  Both Asmal and 
Short mentioned infrastructure, specifically the technology 
the US has in this area, and capacity, which "is a real 
problem and which can't be developed overnight."  Short 
suggested that the U.S. look at SADC's early years at the 
beginning of the 1980's as a guide to exploring how SADC can 
be more relevant and effective.  He noted that donors were 
then under the impression that South Africa was about to 
enter a civil war.  Donor interventions in the areas of 
broad-based development, physical infrastructure to 
facilitate intra-regional trade, trade management and 
administration made tremendous progress possible. 
 
---------------------------------- 
ZIMBABWE: THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) Responses from Canavan's interlocutors on Zimbabwe 
were along the lines to be expected.  The SADC diplomats all 
believe that Mbeki's mediation effort is a step in the right 
direction and should not be "constantly questioned by 
outsiders."  Moreover, Mbeki should be given time to produce 
results.  The Lesotho High Commissioner recognized that for 
free and fair elections to occur, the playing field needs to 
be leveled, but believes holding elections next year might be 
too soon.  The Zambian High Commissioner said that "Mugabe is 
a difficult person who feels he has earned the right to be 
President," and that Zimbabwe's purposefully fallacious 
portrayal of U.S. sanctions as the cause of hardship suffered 
by the masses probably rings true to many Africans who have 
suffered under colonialism.  The Malawian Ambassador told 
Ambassador Canavan that "the same people who impose sanctions 
should engage Zimbabwe," "that the U.S. Congress needs to be 
sensitized to Africa," and also criticized the West for 
encouraging and supporting an aggressive and robust civil 
society, "even when countries have a democratic election like 
you wanted." 
 
¶8. (C) Ambassador Canavan emphasized that U.S. diplomacy 
towards SADC is driven by our perception of the region's 
importance and potential.  U.S. interests in SADC are 
comprehensive and should not be limited by our current 
concerns about Zimbabwe.  In essence, USG motivations for 
reengaging with SADC were not about Zimbabwe, but rather 
about SADC,s ability to promote stability and development 
 
PRETORIA 00001982  003 OF 003 
 
 
throughout the region. 
 
¶9. (U) Ambassador Canavan cleared this message. 
TEITELBAUM