VZCZCXRO5252
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHDR #0105/01 0341432
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031432Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9341
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHMS/AMEMBASSY MUSCAT 0212
RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA 3145
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 0118
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI 1622
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 1590
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
RUEHDS/USMISSION USAU ADDIS ABABA
RHMFISS/CDR USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA//J3
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHLMC/MCC WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 DAR ES SALAAM 000105 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E JTREADWELL; AF/C AKEITH AND AF/EPS 
STATE PASS TO USAID/EA 
STATE PASS TO USITC 
TREASURY FOR REBECCA KLEIN 
LABOR FOR INTERNATIONAL LABOR AFFAIRS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR PREL ECON EAID XW ZF TZ
SUBJECT: EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY SEC-GEN ON USG-EAC 
COOPERATION 
 
REFS: (A) Dar es Salaam 89 (B) Dar es Salaam 88 (C) Kigali 62 
(D) Dar es Salaam 17 
 
DAR ES SAL 00000105  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶1. SUMMARY:  On January 20, I visited East African Community 
(EAC) Secretary-General Juma V. Mwapachu (Tanzania) to 
discuss the three-D's: "Defense, Diplomacy and Development." 
The U.S. and the EAC share common goals.  We have undertaken 
several projects together in the areas of defense, aviation 
security and trade development.  The growing complexity of 
our engagement and the regional nature of the EAC imply the 
need for greater attention to this increasingly important 
institution. Our engagement should be carried out in a 
manner closely coordinated with the Bureau and U.S. Missions 
in the five EAC countries. I suggest we discuss this issue at 
the upcoming East Africa Chief of Mission conference.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. On January 20, I visited East African Community (ref A) 
Secretary-General Juma V. Mwapachu (Tanzania).  Ambassador 
Mwapachu brought to the meeting his Chef de Cabinet, the EAC 
Directors for Trade and for Infrastructure as well as the 
Defense Liaison Officer.  I told the Sec-Gen that I have a 
mandate to maintain the excellent relationship we have with 
Tanzania and to enhance it wherever possible.  It was in that 
spirit that I came to Arusha to acquaint myself with the EAC. 
Mwapachu said that the EAC's relationship with the U.S. was 
good and getting better, but that "all opportunities had not 
yet been exploited." 
 
DEFENSE 
-------- 
 
¶3. On the Defense front, Mwapachu said that the U.S. assisted 
in a joint training exercise last year in Uganda involving 
troops from throughout the EAC (The AFRICOM-sponsored 
exercise "Natural Fires").  This was something that partners 
would like to do on a regular basis-- if not annually then at 
least every two years, given the costs and logistics for such 
an exercise, he said.  At present, EAC states were working on 
a Memorandum of Understanding regarding joint military 
cooperation.  Mwapachu welcomed the advice and assistance the 
EAC was getting from the U.S. Defense Attache system in the 
region and welcomed inputs from AFRICOM directly. 
 
¶4. Mwapachu said that while the five East Africa Community 
states are at peace at this time, the history of the Great 
Lakes region (including EAC members Burundi and Rwanda) has 
largely been one of instability.  The Eastern Congo still 
remained a big concern for all.  Mwapachu also lamented that 
fugitives from the Rwanda genocide were still at large. Until 
they could be brought to justice, that file would remain 
open.  To the north of EAC-space, South Sudan's independence 
referendum, scheduled for June 2011, could bring "unknown 
changes."  Also to the north, Somalia's Al-Shabab insurgents 
had been "poking" into Kenya on occasion.  "High seas piracy 
is bad.  Cross-border incursions are even worse."  I stated 
that these unfortunate developments are of great concern to 
the USG as well. 
 
¶5. Mwapachu appealed to me for help to reinforce the military 
relationship between the EAC and AFRICOM.  Mwapachu 
characterized AFRICOM as "a force for stability in the 
region."  I spoke to Mwapachu about my meeting with AFRICOM 
Commander General William Ward last November at which we 
discussed that very topic. Mwapachu admitted that the "ball 
was in the EAC court" for now until member states could agree 
on a common, broad-based defense policy.  Once an MOU was 
signed, then the EAC could work to establish a mil-mil 
 
DAR ES SAL 00000105  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
relationship with AFRICOM more directly.  That 
notwithstanding, Mwapachu said the ad hoc joint missions that 
were put together through the U.S. bilaterally involving all 
or most of the partners remained highly useful. 
 
¶6. Looking toward the future, Mwapachu would like to see more 
cooperation in terms of counterinsurgency, peace-building and 
peace keeping, with operations on both land and sea. 
Mwapachu would like the EAC to have five stand-by brigades, 
one per member, dedicated to common EAC defense as well as 
for use in natural disasters and humanitarian assistance. 
Such a force should be fully integrated into African Union 
defense plans and should have a joint cooperation agreement 
with the European Union as well. 
 
AVIATION SECURITY 
----------------- 
 
¶7. On the subject of civil aviation, regulation of safety and 
security oversight of regional airways remained another key 
concern for the EAC.  The EAC was working with TSA, DOT and 
FAA in the U.S. to try to set up a "Safe Skies for Africa" 
program.  Mwapachu described support from the U.S. as 
"elaborate," including equipment and training.  The goal was 
to bring the region into a "Category 1" safety regime to 
permit regular, direct flights to the U.S.  Currently no 
airline-- U.S., local or third-country-- offered direct 
flights from East Africa to the U.S.  Delta was supposed to 
start direct flights to Nairobi, but terrorist threats from 
Al-Shabab put the project on hold, according to his 
information.  Air links to America were key for the region, 
he added. 
 
¶8. The EAC also was trying to de-regulate the commercial 
aspects of regional flights.  Ambassador Mwapachu said that 
the EAC had an open skies agreement with SADC.  The EAC 
already had an agreement with the U.S. on upper atmosphere 
flights, but was still working on getting an agreement for 
lower air space flights. 
 
INFRASTRUCTURE 
-------------- 
 
¶9. The EAC wanted to re-establish a railway link from Rwanda 
to Tanzania (ref C).  Through a U.S. Trade and Development 
Agency (USTDA) grant, U.S. firm BNSF (Burlington, Northern, 
Santa Fe) recently conducted a study for a standard gauge 
railway from Kigali to Dar es Salaam (the current, unusable 
track was narrow gauge and not to international scale).  The 
African Development Bank was also looking at funding a 
railway spur from Kigali to Bujumbura, Ambassador Mwapachu 
said.  I expressed concern about recent flooding in the 
central area around the railway track; at least one bridge 
had collapsed and tracks washed away at several points.  I 
reminded Mwapachu that the U.S. had just sent USD 50,000 
emergency relief to flood victims there (ref D).  In terms of 
the plan for the railway itself, I reassured Mwapachu that I 
had spoken to the U.S. executive heading the company involved 
and that we at the U.S. Mission to Tanzania were following 
the project closely. 
 
¶10. Ambassador Mwapachu said the EAC was also looking to 
engage on maritime issues.  Mwapachu said he was looking at 
areas that could be privatized to gain U.S. participation in 
that sector. 
 
TRADE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 
------------------------------ 
 
DAR ES SAL 00000105  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
 
¶11. In 2008, the EAC signed a Trade and Investment Framework 
Agreement (TIFA) with USTDA, on the margins of a Washington- 
hosted summit of regional transportation ministers. 
Mwapachu's Director of Trade, Dr. Mossonda, said that on 
February 15 in Kampala there will be a meeting of trade 
ministers to, inter alia, look at how to capitalize on the 
TIFA.  The ministers may also launch a "TIFA Council" and 
adopt a work plan.  Mwapachu said it would be good if 
ministers could flesh-out the framework to link it with AGOA. 
Inter-regional trade was low, he said. In fact, the upcoming 
ministerial would be only the second time that regional trade 
ministers met together.  Currently, most AGOA trade was from 
Kenya on the supply side, he said. 
 
¶12. An important U.S. contribution to East Africa trade was 
COMPETE (Competitiveness and Trade Expansion) a regional 
USAID program valued at USD $84 million to spur trade in the 
region.  COMPETE was useful in supporting the private sector 
to participate in policy-making dialogue with the EAC, 
Mwapachu said.  It also had been helpful in homogenizing 
trade and customs procedures and applying best practices for 
the border posts. 
 
¶13. Mwapachu said he next would like to focus on grains, the 
transport of which was "not smooth."  On the subject of 
agricultural trade, Mwapachu admitted that the U.S. had a 
"hard time" in East Africa, especially with beef and cereals. 
Ambassador Mwapachu hoped the upcoming TIFA ministerial could 
look at that.I insisted that trade needed to be mutually 
supportive and not one-sided.  Nonetheless, U.S. interest in 
the region was there, so EAC members had to nurture East 
Africa's "tremendous potential." 
 
DIPLO]AgYQZQQQQDQv+Qq0bX{cbaxnK\Ging to discuss East Africa regional issues, 
he and/or his organization would be available to provide 
briefings. 
 
¶15. Summarizing the state-of-play of East African political 
federation, Mwapachu said members remained national in their 
thinking, but virtually all infrastructural issues cut across 
borders.  Therefore, he said, there was a growing regional 
perspective to members' national planning. 
 
COMMENT: 
-------- 
 
¶16. Much of what I discussed with Mwapachu we only have 
limited visibility on from Dar es Salaam.  We have even less 
visibility on EAC events in other member states, except 
through the good reporting of our colleagues at U.S. Missions 
to other EAC members.  Often however, when the EAC Chautauqua 
rolls into town outside of Arusha, reporting officers have no 
context to discern the relative importance to Washington 
policy makers.  Burgeoning U.S. engagement with the EAC is 
tied to the emerging relevance of the organization and to the 
increasing inter-connectivity of core American policy goals 
throughout the region.  For example, during March 10-12, Dar 
es Salaam will host anti-counterfeiting training for 
officials of EAC states.  The growing complexity of our 
engagement and the regional nature of the EAC imply the need 
 
DAR ES SAL 00000105  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
for greater attention to this increasingly important 
institution.  Our engagement should be carried out in a 
manner closely coordinated with the Bureau and U.S. Missions 
in the five EAC countries.  I suggest we discuss this issue 
at the upcoming East Africa Chief of Mission conference. 
 
¶17. A Biography of Ambassador Dr. Juma V. Mwapachu can be 
found through this link: http://www.eac.int/sg 
 
Lenhardt