VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMS #0333/01 1211504
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301504Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 9547

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000333 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EEB ASSISTANT SECRETARY DANIEL SULLIVAN FROM AMBASSADOR GARY A. 
GRAPPO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: APER AMGT ECON BEXP ETRD MU
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MUSCAT NOMINATION OF BRIAN GRIMM FOR HERBERT 
SALZMAN AWARD 
 
REF: A) STATE 18732     B) MUSCAT 310 
 
¶1.  Economic/Commercial Officer Brian Grimm significantly advanced 
U.S. policy and objectives in the economic field over the last year. 
 His outstanding work on the Free Trade Agreement deserves the 
highest praise.  In conjunction with his other accomplishments, I am 
pleased to nominate Brian for the 2008 Herbert Salzman Award for 
Excellence in International Economic Performance. 
 
¶2.  Free trade agreements between the U.S. and other countries serve 
as powerful catalysts for economic growth and development, both at 
home and abroad.  At the end of September 2006, President Bush 
signed the landmark U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which has 
since brought sweeping changes to Oman's business and legal 
environment.  Now ratified, implementation and promotion of the FTA 
is central to showcase the benefits of open trade and economic 
reform in the volatile Arab world.  No single Foreign Service 
Officer has done more to accomplish this important goal than Brian 
Grimm.  Moreover, no FTA implementation process has faced so many 
hurdles and pitfalls as this one. 
 
¶3.  As Embassy Muscat's sole Economic/Commercial officer and point 
person on all FTA issues, Brian has worked tirelessly to guide the 
Agreement through the arduous implementation process.  He has 
liaised closely on an almost daily basis with the U.S. Trade 
Representative Office (USTR) and the Omani government to provide 
both with expert advice and to facilitate negotiations on a wide 
range of issues concerning customs administration, intellectual 
property, telecommunications, government procurement, and 
transparency, among others.  After initially moving ahead in 
developing FTA-compliant regulations, the Omani government 
eventually lost its way, becoming frustrated with what was viewed as 
unreasonable U.S. demands.  While keeping USTR and other relevant 
agencies informed of his activities, Brian used his extensive 
knowledge of the Omani bureaucracy and local economic concerns to 
intervene with Omani officials, who had grown to strongly respect 
and trust him.  Thanks to Brian, tempers were calmed, expectations 
were clarified, and the Omani government was persuaded to renew 
cooperation. 
 
¶4.  Brian subsequently proposed and also arranged for a one-week 
visit by a well-regarded trade consultant (and former U.S. 
ambassador) to help put Oman back on track towards FTA 
implementation.  To maximize her effectiveness, Brian briefed the 
consultant on the status of each outstanding item, identified 
pertinent Omani regulatory hurdles, outlined the biases of her Omani 
interlocutors, and subsequently assisted her with drafting 
appropriate remedies.  Working closely together, they then convinced 
the Omanis to implement the proposed remedies to meet FTA standards. 
 As a result, the visit became a watershed event and earned Brian 
praise from me, USTR, and the usually pessimistic Minister of 
Commerce and Industry. 
 
¶5.  To sustain the positive momentum on the FTA that he generated, 
Brian kept influential stakeholders, including officials in both the 
U.S. and Omani governments, well-informed about progress on 
remaining issues.  As part of this effort, he developed an 
abbreviated checklist, which he updated regularly, that concisely 
described the status of every action item.  This list also focused 
attention on major sticking points, such as Oman's fear that the 
FTA's strong intellectual property protections would impede its 
ability to obtain needed pharmaceutical products.  Working closely 
with USTR and industry representatives, Brian overcame this obstacle 
by convincing his counterpart at the Ministry of Health that Oman's 
concerns could be met without infringing upon the rights of U.S. 
pharmaceutical companies. 
 
¶6.  Oman's ability to develop FTA-compliant telecommunications 
licensing criteria has presented another significant obstacle to FTA 
implementation.  Using key contacts that he developed in this 
sector, Brian learned that Omani telecommunications regulators - who 
favored more competition - were constrained by a finance ministry 
that wanted to sell off a major portion of the government's 
fixed-line monopoly carrier before allowing liberalization to occur. 
 With this information, Brian advised me of the situation.  I was 
then able to enlist a commitment from the highest levels of the 
government to resolve the impasse. 
 
¶7.  Anticipation of the FTA's implementation has generated 
significant attention among Oman's business leaders.  To help open 
the doors for trade and investment opportunities afforded by the 
FTA, Brian orchestrated a visit by Oman's investment promotion chief 
to Washington, where he met with both public and private sector 
officials to publicize the benefits of doing business in Oman. 
Brian persuaded a U.S. trade delegation to add Muscat to its Middle 
East itinerary, which allowed him to bring prominent Omani companies 
together with U.S. counterparts to explore investment and commercial 
opportunities.  These efforts followed-up on the very successful FTA 
Awareness Conference that Brian had earlier brought to fruition in 
Muscat that included participation of notable government and private 
 
industry officials from both the U.S. and Oman, including the 
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the region. 
 
¶8.  In conjunction with his outstanding work on the FTA, Brian has 
been extremely active and productive in both promoting economic 
reforms that reflect U.S. policies and economic reporting 
priorities.  Regarding the former, Brian has directed funds from the 
State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) to move 
Oman further towards free and open markets.  For example, 
recognizing a deficiency in the way Omani customs authorities 
inspect and admit goods, Brian secured a MEPI commitment to hold 
workshops on innovative customs concepts.  Similarly, after 
identifying weaknesses in the Omani government's ability to deter 
counterfeit goods crossing its borders and to stop satellite 
broadcast piracy, Brian worked with MEPI to deliver training 
programs addressing these areas.  He also has been the driving force 
behind multiple intellectual property rights workshops for judges, 
government officials and private businesses.  As a result of these 
efforts, the commercial rights of U.S. companies have been 
strengthened and Oman is better prepared to implement its FTA 
obligations. 
 
¶9.  Brian's written reports cover a broad range of economic 
subjects, but share a defining feature - uniform excellence in both 
style and content.  In addition to his outstanding work in producing 
mandated documents such as the Country Commercial Guide and National 
Trade Estimate, Brian generates a steady stream of analytical 
reports on issues of high interest to Washington readers.  His 
reporting, for example, has focused on the Omani government's 
commitment to retain its currency peg to the U.S. dollar, attempts 
to increase oil and gas production levels, and Oman's push to 
diversify its economy through industrialization and development 
projects (including those that offer significant opportunities for 
U.S. businesses).  Most of Brian's noteworthy reporting contain 
classified paragraphs - which reflects his excellent access to 
confidential sources - but his recent unclassified cable on the 
 
SIPDIS 
impact of rising food and commodity prices, and the government's 
response to it, provides an accessible example of Brian's superb 
writing and analytical skills (Muscat 310). 
 
¶10.  Based on Brian's accomplishments outlined above, I strongly 
recommend Brian Grimm for the 2008 Salzman Award for Excellence in 
International Economic Performance.  His performance and output as 
Post's sole Economic and Commercial Officer were equal to those of a 
multi-officer economic section at most other posts.  Brian's 
initiative, determination, and command of the diverse range of 
economic issues of importance to the USG were the major contributing 
factor to this Post's success on economic and commercial priorities. 
 Embassy Muscat also proposes the following award citation:  For 
outstanding contributions to the implementation of the landmark 
U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement, and for sustained excellence in 
promoting economic reforms in support of U.S. policies and in 
reporting on economic issues. 
GRAPPO