VZCZCXRO8697
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHCO #0337/01 1651337
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131337Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0369
INFO RUEHLMC/MILLENIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHDC
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1434
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0346
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1275

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COTONOU 000337 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/W DANA BANKS, CA/VO MICHELLE URBANCIC, CA/FPP 
DAKAR FOR FCS STEPHEN MORRISON 
LONDON FOR PETER LORD 
PARIS FOR FCS BILL CRAWFORD 
 
E.O.12958:N/A 
TAGS: PGOVENRGCVISMASSEAIDOPRCEWWTBN
SUBJECT: BENIN WRAP-UP MAY 31 - JUNE 13, 2008 
 
COTONOU 00000337  001.2 OF 003 
 
REF: 
 
1.(U) This cable is a bi-weekly summary of events which occurred in 
Benin between May 31 and June 13. Comments for improvements from 
readers are welcome.  Please direct them to Pol/Econ Officer Jason 
Hahn at hahnje@state.gov. 
 
2.(U) Contents: 
 
-- CEN-SAD Summit in Cotonou June 12 - 18 
-- Protests Mar Inaugurations of New Municipal Councils 
-- West African Gas Pipeline Construction in Benin Stalls 
-- PAO Hosts Conferences on U.S. Political System 
-- USAID Launches Girls Education Project 
-- Moving Rocks May Pose Problem for MCC's Program at Port 
-- Embassy Finds Increase in Fraudulent Visa Applications 
-- GOB agrees to host Peace Corps anniversary celebration 
-- Peacekeepers complete ACOTA training for DRC Deployment 
 
------------------------------------ 
CEN-SAD Summit in Cotonou June 12-18 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶3. The Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) Summit began in 
Cotonou on June 12 with experts meetings.  The summit's theme is 
"Rural Development and Food Security".  Presidents and Prime 
Ministers will arrive for the high level meetings on June 16 and 
depart on June 18.  Approximately half of CEN-SAD's 25 heads of 
state have confirmed their attendance at the summit. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
Protests Mar Inaugurations of New Municipal Councils 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶4. Following the April 20 and May 1 local and municipal elections, 
prefects (high-ranking civil servants who represent the State at the 
departmental level) installed 53 out of 77 municipal councils. 
Protests, some turning violent, prevented the prefects from 
installing the councils in the remaining 24 communes and cities. The 
protesters dispute the final election results released by the 
National Independent Electoral Commission (CENA) which differ in 
some cities from the results recorded by political parties when the 
ballots were counted immediately after the election. The protestors 
demand that the Supreme Court rule on pending election appeals 
before the prefects install the new councilors and mayors. In 
response, the government asked political parties to calm their 
partisans and put an inter-ministerial committee in place to defuse 
the crisis.  In Cotonou, where the city council was installed 
uneventfully, 48 of 49 councilors voted to renew former president 
and Renaissance of Benin party leader Nicephore Soglo's mandate as 
Cotonou's mayor. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
West African Gas Pipeline Construction in Benin Stalls 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶5. Construction of Benin's on-shore natural gas pipeline which links 
the sub-marine West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) to the on-shore 
metering station has been at a standstill since January 2008. 
According to Maxime Semassoussi at the Ministry of Mines, Energy, 
and Water, Willbros, the contractor performing the work, abandoned 
the project after the West Africa Gas Pipeline Company, WAGPCo, did 
not agree to an increase in the initially agreed upon price for 
completion of the contract. As a result WAGPCo terminated its 
contract with Willbros in February 2008. According to Semassoussi, 
WAGPCo issued a new invitation for tenders to select a new 
contractor to complete the construction.  Willbros submitted a bid 
in the new tender. WAGPCo expects construction work to resume in 
July 2008 and finish in the first quarter of 2009. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
PAO Hosts Conferences on U.S. Political System 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶6. The Public Affairs Section hosted a week-long series of 
conferences with Dr. Sheldon Gellar, a Political Scientist, Research 
Associate and Independent International Development Consultant from 
Indiana University, who engaged Beninese audiences in discussions on 
the U.S. political system. The conferences stimulated dialogue 
comparing the Beninese political practices and received wide-spread 
media coverage.  The program consisted of a series of lectures and 
discussions that were held at the American Cultural Center, at the 
National Teacher's Training School in Porto-Novo, and at the 
Universities of Abomey-Calvi and Parakou.  Dr. Gellar spoke on the 
 
COTONOU 00000337  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
U.S. election process, electoral issues, U.S constitutional 
provisions regarding the separation of powers, U.S aspects of 
grassroots democracy; citizens' role, responsibility and involvement 
in the political process; the role, place and utility of the civil 
society, the role of religious leaders in democracy, women in 
politics; corruption, good governance; and shifting trends in the 
financing of political parties and campaigns. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
USAID Launches Girls Education Project 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. The USAID funded Girl's Education and Community Participation 
Project was officially launched in Parakou on June 12, 2008. 
Activities under this USD 5 million 4-year grant to World Education 
will assist the Government of Benin to improve quality, increase 
access and expand community participation in the education sector. 
Activities will build on the successes of previous USG supported 
projects and contribute to the following results: increased access 
to and improved performance of girls in school in targeted areas; 
improved community contribution to transparent management of the 
education system; and improved response to HIV/AIDS in the basic 
education sector. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
Moving Rocks May Pose Problem for MCC's Program at Port 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶8. Millennium Challenge Account-Benin (MCA-Benin) held its first 
validation workshop for the environmental studies related to 
construction at Cotonou's port.  Participants responded vigorously 
when told that forty trucks a day for 18 months will be required to 
bring rock to the port for the new wharf.  This heavy traffic will 
need to come over the quickly deteriorating road between Bohicon and 
Abomey-Calvi and then through the city of Cotonou.  In addition, 
transport of many times this much rock is anticipated for a large 
scale project to combat coastal erosion (not funded by MCA-Benin) 
which is planned for construction at the same time.  MCA-Benin is 
asking its consultant to provide a detailed analysis of the 
cumulative impact of the Compact port construction activities and, 
despite its current decrepit condition, to evaluate the feasibility 
of partial use of the rail line which connects Cotonou with northern 
Benin.  MCA-Benin is offering detailed briefings to potential 
bidders on the port construction project in Paris the week of June 
¶23. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
Embassy Finds Increase in Fraudulent Visa Applications 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶9. The consular section has seen a trend in fraudulent NIV 
applications in the last month.  The section discovered seven 
dubious cases in which a couple applied for tourist visas to 
vacation in the United States.  Generally, the husband was allegedly 
the owner of a fair-sized business and would normally already have 
traveled to the Schengen countries, while the wife would have no 
travel out of the region.  Three impostors who had previously 
applied under different names at nearby posts were discovered by 
biometric systems.  One additional couple was discovered by the RSO 
when they were acting suspiciously while in line and when 
confronted, fled the scene.  Three additional couples were 
discovered when they presented fake bank statements from an 
imaginary microcredit organization, PAFME.  Conoff suspects other 
couples applying are attempts at this fraud, but without additional 
evidence, they have been refused under section 214(b). 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
GOB agrees to host Peace Corps anniversary celebration 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶10. On June 6, the GOB informed Peace Corps Benin that in 
celebration of Peace Corps Benin's 40th anniversary later this year, 
the GOB will finance a television documentary on Peace Corps 
presence in Benin for nationwide distribution and allow Peace Corps 
Benin free use of the Palais de Congres conference center to hold 
the anniversary events.  Peace Corps has been operational in Benin 
since 1968, and will celebrate its 40th anniversary on September 5, 
¶2008. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
Peacekeepers complete ACOTA training for DRC Deployment 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶11. On Friday, June 6, 2008, 700 Beninese soldiers deploying in 
 
COTONOU 00000337  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
support of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic 
of the Congo (MONUC) completed their training.  Northrop Grumman 
contractors and U.S. Marine Corps elements provided the training and 
acted as mentors.  At the end of the training, U.S. instructors 
expressed the need for the ACOTA program to continue with a 
substantial American presence, as the Beninese Armed Forces are not 
ready to assume full training responsibilities.  Three containers of 
ACOTA provided military equipment arrived in the Port of Cotonou on 
June 11.  The equipment includes Kevlar helmets and night vision 
equipment destined for Beninese peacekeeping forces. 
 
BOUSTANI