VZCZCXYZ0007
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHCO #0046/01 0181334
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 181334Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0127
INFO RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA PRIORITY 1540
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L COTONOU 000046 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
WHITE HOUSE FOR SPENCER GEISSINGER AND MELISSA BENNETT 
NSC FOR MARY HAINES 
STATE FOR A/EX/PTS CSZYMANSKI AND AF/W DBANKS 
ACCRA FOR WHITE HOUSE PRE-ADVANCE SURVEY TEAM 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2018 
TAGS: OVIP BUSH GEORGE PGOV EAID KMCA BN
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR THE POTUS VISIT TO BENIN 
 
REF: A. COTONOU 37 
     ¶B. COTONOU 9 
 
Classified By: Amb. Gayleatha B. Brown for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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1.(SBU) The POTUS visit to Benin provides an excellent 
opportunity to re-enforce already strong ties between the 
U.S. and Benin and show that the United States supports 
Benin's democratic tradition.  President Yayi, who has 
followed a decidedly pro-American course since taking office 
in April 2006, warmly welcomes your visit.  The United States 
is an active partner in Benin's development through USAID, 
MCC, and Peace Corps.  Post suggests that we encourage 
President Yayi to look to the U.S. as a trading partner, work 
quickly to implement the President's Malaria Initiative 
(PMI), encourage him to commit to a comprehensive 
anti-corruption plan, and sign a Memorandum of Understanding 
(MOU) for the preferred New Embassy Construction (NEC) site 
in Cotonou. Per ref A, expect President Yayi to raise with 
POTUS a request for another five year Millennium Challenge 
Compact after the conclusion of the current compact, 
assistance in the fight against HIV/AIDS, increased funding 
for education assistance programs, and a re-inforcement of 
Benin's capacity to fight against terrorism. 
 
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Where is Benin going? 
--------------------- 
 
2.(U) President Yayi's political movement, Force Cowrie for 
an Emerging Benin (FCBE), did well in parliamentary elections 
in April 2007 and President Yayi now governs with a 
comfortable majority in the National Assembly.  Upcoming 
municipal elections, which are scheduled for February 17 but 
will probably be delayed until late March due to delays in 
naming the electoral commission, will provide an idea of how 
powerful Yayi and his political movement are after almost 2 
years in office.  The electoral commission is scheduled to be 
sworn in January 19 by the President of the Constitutional 
Court. 
 
3.(U) President Yayi employs a governing style which is much 
more in touch with the people of Benin than previous 
presidents.  He travels frequently throughout Benin meeting 
with people in markets and visiting children in school.  This 
translates into his engagement with the international 
community.  President Yayi has traveled extensively in 
Europe, South and North America, the Middle East, and Asia in 
an effort to promote Benin.  This international engagement is 
also present in Benin's peacekeeping efforts.  More than 10 
percent of Benin's armed forces are deployed abroad on 
peacekeeping assignments in the Democratic Republic of the 
Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, and Haiti. 
 
4.(SBU) President Yayi, who speaks often of an "emerging 
Benin", prioritized double-digit economic growth and the 
fight against corruption since taking office.  According to 
the IMF, Benin's GDP grew at 4.2 percent in 2007, up from 3.8 
percent in 2006.  Economic growth continues to be constrained 
by electricity shortages and excessive regulatory red tape. 
The fight against corruption has succeeded in exposing cases 
of malfeasance at government-owned corporations and in 
government agencies, but it lacks the overall focus and 
coordination that an anti-corruption action plan would give 
it. 
 
--------------------------------- 
How is the United States helping? 
--------------------------------- 
 
5.(U) The United States supports Benin through a wide range 
of programs including the Millennium Challenge Corporation 
(MCC), the United States Agency for International Development 
(USAID), the Departments of State and Defense, and the Peace 
Corps.  The MCC, which represents the major source of U.S. 
assistance to Benin, signed its 307 million dollar compact 
with Benin in 2006.  The compact's largest program is its 
Access to Markets component which aims to use approximately 
169 million dollars to vastly improve the efficiency of the 
Port of Cotonou. 
 
6.(U) The USAID program in Benin is investing in the health 
and education of the Beninese people with a projected FY 2008 
budget of 28.4 million dollars.  The Presidential Malaria 
Initiative (PMI), with an FY 2008 budget of 14 million 
dollars, will reduce malaria-related deaths by 50 percent 
over three years. The Women's Justice and Empowerment 
Initiative (WJEI), with a budget of 5.5 million dollars over 
three years, will act to reduce gender-based violence against 
women and children. 
 
7.(U) Peace Corps, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary 
in Benin in 2008, is active in the small business, 
environment, education, and health sectors.  Peace Corps' 93 
volunteers, spread throughout Benin, enjoyed considerable 
success during 2007.  Among their many achievements they 
taught English to 7,586 secondary school students and 
provided HIV/AIDS education to 3,300 men, women, and youth. 
Volunteers have also been successful in raising over 50,000 
dollars in private-public funding for secondary projects in 
such areas as orphanage improvement, eco-tourism, and girls' 
education scholarships. 
 
8.(U) The Department of State, through the ACOTA program, 
funded the training of 1100 Beninese soldiers for 
peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 
and Cote d'Ivoire during 2007.  IMET funding supported a 
Department of Defense Institute for International Legal 
Studies seminar which concentrated on the legal aspects of 
combating terrorism for an engaged audience of 33 senior GOB 
military and civilian leaders.  Self-Help Program Funds 
funded the construction of multiple classroom buildings 
across Benin in 2007 and the Democracy and Human Rights Fund 
supported projects which made an appreciable impact on 
raising awareness of children's rights and supporting girls' 
education. 
 
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Next Steps in U.S.-Benin Cooperation 
------------------------------------ 
 
9.(C) As we continue to strengthen the ties between the U.S. 
and Benin, Post requests that President Bush express 
appreciation for the selection of a U.S. corporation, 
Combustion Associates, Inc., of California, to build a 80 MW 
power plant (Benin's largest ever power plant procurement 
worth 67 million dollars). 
 
10.(C) NEC: President Yayi's personal support was required to 
identify a suitable site in Cotonou for a New Embassy 
Compound (NEC).  However, recalcitrant GOB members object to 
the proposed sale of government land, which includes old, 
dilapidated Conseil de l'Entente buildings, and have stalled 
signing an MOU with the USG.  It would be useful for POTUS to 
request President Yayi's continued attention to this matter. 
 
11.(C) Benin deserves our congratulations for its 
well-organized, responsible and humane response to the avian 
influenza outbreak, which began in Benin in December 2007. 
The GOB acted quickly to cooperate with the international 
community, compensate farmers for their losses, and 
aggressively cull birds to contain the outbreak.  Post now 
aims to make the PMI a similar success story.  It would be 
useful to re-iterate with President Yayi that the GOB will 
need to quickly mobilize the necessary resources to support 
the PMI, manage the resources the U.S. provides transparently 
and with accountability, and make administrative decisions 
without delay. 
 
12.(C) President Yayi has taken significant symbolic steps 
against corruption.  He has fired corrupt senior officials, 
declared an anti-corruption day, lead a march against 
corruption of several thousand people through Cotonou and 
created new government audit bodies to monitor government 
spending.  In spite of these efforts, Benin failed the MCC's 
Corruption indicator in 2006 and 2007, which jeopardizes 
Benin's continuing eligibility for MCC assistance.  Benin 
must adopt a systemic approach to fighting corruption.  We 
welcome President Yayi's efforts to date to fight corruption 
and encourage him to work with the international community to 
quickly develop an anti-corruption action plan. 
 
BROWN