Cablegate: Fm Membe On Zanzibar, Politics, Au, and Piracy

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAR ES SALAAM 000159

SIPDIS

FOR AF/E JTREADWELL, INR/AA FEHRENREICH

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM SENV AU TZ SO
SUBJECT: FM MEMBE ON ZANZIBAR, POLITICS, AU, AND PIRACY

REF: A: Dar es Salaam 155 B: Dar es Salaam 57

DAR ES SAL 00000159 001.2 OF 002

1. SUMMARY: Foreign Minister Membe convened the diplomatic corps on
February 19 for a general briefing on Tanzanian domestic and foreign
affairs. Membe reported GOT endorsement of a Zanzibar coalition
government; welcomed international monitoring of the October general
election; boasted of Tanzania's free press and anti-corruption
activity; and claimed the GOT was reviewing its laws to consider
permitting prosecution of pirates. Membe also indicated Tanzania
would soon be seeking support to train Somali soldiers. Although
little of the information was new, in some areas Membe's comments
were the first of a public nature. The event was open to the press
(whose subsequent reporting varied in accuracy), and Membe permitted
one question from the assembled diplomats. END SUMMARY.

ZANZIBAR: "WE WISH THEM ALL THE BEST"
-------------------------------------
2. Membe said the GOT and CCM had officially endorsed the formation
of a coalition government. On the proposed referendum, he said
lawyers and the Special Committee were now working out the "precise
and clear question" to be asked of Zanzibar voters, as well as the
modalities of the referendum, in particular whether it would be held
in advance of the general election or at the same time. He
expressed appreciation for the efforts of Zanzibar President Karume
and CUF leader Seif Sharif Hamad: "We wish them all the best."

2010 UNION ELECTIONS: "FREE AND FAIR"
-------------------------------------
3. Membe invited the international community to monitor the Union
and Zanzibar elections set for October. He said formal invitations
would also go to SADC and the AU to ensure free and fair practices.
Membe mentioned the recently passed Electoral Expenses Act (see
septel), which will require greater transparency by parties on the
sources of their funding and will prohibit foreign funding after the
dissolution of Parliament on June 30. Membe added that independent
presidential candidates would not be permitted in this election
(despite a court ruling to the contrary), not because the GOT
objects in principle but because insufficient time remains before
the election to effect necessary constitutional, legal, and
regulatory reforms.

GOOD GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION: RICHMOND, BAE
---------------------------------------------
4. Membe described Parliament's closure of debate on the Richmond
report not as a silencing of GOT critics within CCM but as a means
of allowing Parliament to move on to more pressing issues. He said
the GOT would continue addressing remaining recommendations from the
Parliamentary Select Committee report. "The nation" accepts the
responsibility taken by former Prime Minister Lowassa and the two
other ministers who "had to resign" as accountability. Membe also
observed that one of the officials blamed in the report, former
Attorney General Mwanyika, had recently left office. Membe
characterized the debate over Richmond as having divided CCM within
Parliament, a division so sharp that it "generated vibrations across
the country," but never affected the unity of CCM nationally. In
any case, the closure of the debate meant that CCM's MPs were once
again united. (Comment: This is a particularly rosy version of
events.)

5. Membe welcomed the settlement in the UK between BAe and the UK's
Serious Fraud Office (SFO), under which BAe agreed to pay nearly USD
40 million in connection with the sale of radar equipment to
Tanzania in 2001. Membe called on the UK to transmit the money
directly to the GOT rather than to charity, since it was taxpayers'
money that the GOT wanted to use "efficiently." He also asked the
UK to forward the SFO's final report and recommendations.

6. Membe acknowledged the concerns of donors, especially those
giving general budget support, about corruption in Tanzania. The
GOT was investigating serious corruption cases (although doing so
quietly), while other cases were already in court. Listing other
anti-corruption measures, he said all top officials, himself
included, were required to report their wealth and its sources. He
lauded Tanzania's free press for digging into people's pockets and
houses to reveal corrupt tendencies. (Note: When the Swedish
ambassador asked about the suspension of the Swahili weekly Kulikoni
(see ref a), Membe said it was an isolated case to be considered in
the context of the many media outlets in Tanzania, said he was
satisfied with media freedom compared to other countries, and
referred discussion of specific issues to the Minister of
Information.)

DAR ES SAL 00000159 002.2 OF 002

AU SUMMIT: WE CONDEMN COUPS
---------------------------
7. Membe highlighted the AU's unanimous condemnation for and zero
tolerance of military coups and unconstitutional changes of
government. He said the AU would immediately sanction Niger and
prohibit its participation in AU meetings, as the AU had done for
Mauritania, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar. Returning to one
of his familiar themes, he wondered aloud why all the coups took
place in former French colonies. Membe also touched on the election
of Malawi as AU Chair, the expected renewal at the July summit of
debate on transforming the AU Commission to an Authority, and the
AU's strong endorsement of the Copenhagen Accord. He thanked Japan
and the U.S. for commitments to clean energy initiatives that would
assist Africa.

PIRACY/SOMALIA
--------------
8. Membe acknowledged piracy as a problem for East Africa and
continued to hedge about the possibility that Tanzania would accept
pirates for prosecution and detention. He reiterated the GOT's
concern about the security risks from the associates of pirates who
might be incarcerated in Tanzania. He declined to specify how long
a review of Tanzania's current laws might take, but insisted on the
need for harmonization of laws with Kenya and Somalia, which was a
discussion that would wait until the March meeting of the East
African Community ministers. (Comment: While it may make sense for
Tanzania to learn from Kenya's experience, Membe's reference to the
EAC, and especially to Somalia - by no means an EAC country - was a
non sequitur.)

9. Referring to the ongoing bloodshed in Somalia as a disgrace for
the continent, Membe said the Somali government had prepared a list
of 105 soldiers to be trained in Tanzania. He said he would soon
ask for support from partners (likely the U.S. - see ref b).

LENHARDT

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