Cablegate: Strategic Partnership Dialogue Mou: Foreign Minister's

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FM AMEMBASSY LUANDA
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INFO SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE

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TAGS: PREL PGOV AO
SUBJECT: Strategic Partnership Dialogue MOU: Foreign Minister's
Expected Signature is the Last GRA Hurdle

1. (SBU) In a February 24 meeting with Ambassador Mozena, MIREX
Director of Americas Balbina da Silva raised first the issue of the
MOU for the U.S. - Angola Strategic Partnership Dialogue, declaring
that the text of the document has already been agreed between the
two countries at the technical level. Making clear that President
Dos Santos did not need to review and approve the MOU text, Da
Silva said the final step from the GRA side is Foreign Minister Dos
Anjos's signature. Balbina asked that we proceed with scheduling a
date for the Washington signing with Secretary Clinton, as the
Minister's signature is "pro-forma" and should be forthcoming
shortly. Ambassador Mozena informed her that we could not schedule
a date for the signing until we had a fully agreed text. We agreed
that we would stand by and await word from Balbina as to when the
Minister has approved the MOU text.

2. (SBU) COMMENT: The Ministry's inability to give timely
final approval to a document that formalizes the Strategic
Partnership Dialogue, which the GRA deeply wants, needs and
accepts, underscores, yet again, the cost that Angola's pays in
terms of efficiency for its highly centralized, poorly staffed
bureaucratic structure. Since the squeaky wheel truly does have
the best chance of getting a shot of oil in the Angolan
bureaucracy, Post will continue to engage MIREX to provide the
needed ministerial approval so we can move toward finding a
mutually acceptable date for signing the MOU in Washington. END
COMMENT
MOZENA

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