R 031501Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7837
INFO SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY ANTANANARIVO 
AMEMBASSY DAKAR 
AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
AMEMBASSY LUANDA 
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 
AMEMBASSY PARIS

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000565 
 
 
AF/E FOR JLIDDLE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV TZ
SUBJECT: ZANZIBAR: BIG TURNOUT FOR EMBASSY ZANZIBAR AFFAIRS 
OFFICER "COMING OUT PARTY" 
 
¶1. The August 28 Embassy reception to announce the creation 
of the new Zanzibar Affairs Office and to introduce the new 
incumbent saw the largest turnout of any official USG 
Zanzibar representation event in institutional memory. 
Almost 200 people attended, including several Ministers and 
&A-listers8 from government, police and military, religious 
leaders, NGO,s, civil society and the small but influential 
American community.  About two-thirds of those invited 
attended the event, and some host-country guests commented 
that the reception proved to be a good venue for networking 
because of the depth and diversity of the attendees. 
 
¶2. Conspicuously absent, however, was senior leadership of 
the main opposition party CUF.  At a follow-up meeting with 
senior CUF political adviser Dr. Juma Ameri Muchi, Dr. Muchi 
said that CUF was having an important party-wide caucus in 
Dar es-Salaam at the time of the event (septel).  The 
Ambassador will soon meet with CUF senior leadership. 
 
¶3. COMMENT: Although Zanzibar accounts for less than five 
percent of Tanzania,s population, its national influence and 
the extent of U.S. engagement is significant, with Millenium 
Challenge Account, PEPFAR and the Presdient,s Malaria 
Initiative, inter alia, totaling tens of millions of dollars. 
 The Embassy,s &Zanzibar Affairs Officer8 will be based in 
Dar es-Salaam until such time as an American Presence Post 
can be funded and established, as originally planned.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
¶4. The speech of the Charge d'Affairs received national press 
play, the most-quoted portions excerpted below: 
 
The friendship between our two peoples is based on shared 
values, experiences and aspirations.  The first American 
diplomat came to Zanzibar in 1837, 171 years ago.  We 
recently established the Zanzibar Affairs position at the 
American Embassy as a means of strengthening our historic 
partnership with the people of Zanzibar. 
 
Ambassador Green often reminds us that we serve the United 
States Mission to the United Republic of Tanzania, not the 
United States Mission to Dar es Salaam.  We work with people 
throughout this great country.  In the case of Zanzibar, we 
recognize your historic role as a principal source of Swahili 
culture.  A peaceful, well-governed, healthy and prosperous 
Zanzibar can greatly influence the entire region for the 
better.  We wish to patrner with the people of Unguja and 
Pemba, and with their government, political, religious, 
business and civil society leaders to achieve these common 
aims.  David Scott's job as Zanzibar Affairs Officer will be 
to help us support the effort of Zanzibari Tanzanians to 
build a better Zanzibar and so a better Tanzania. 
 
We respect Zanzibar's history, its cultural achievements and 
its unique union with mainland Tanzania.  I note that 
Tanzanians have often debated particular aspects of the Union 
Agreement, and continue to do so to this day.  Lively debate 
about fundamental issues characterizes free societies. 
Tanzania is clearly a free society.  In our view, it is 
healthy for such a debate to be moderated by mutual respect 
and tolerance.  This is a challenge for politicians 
worldwide, including in my own country! 
 
I said that the new Zanzibar Affairs Officer will work to 
strengthen our partnership with the Zanzibaris.  That 
partnership has produced benefits for both peoples  We 
distributed a fact sheet listing achievements of that 
partnership, and let me cite a few highlights... 
 
GREEN