VZCZCXRO9845
PP RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #1204/01 1381704
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 181704Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5171
INFO RUEHLMC/MCC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 001204 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/EPS, AF/W, DRL/PHD, PM/WRA AND INR/AA 
PARIS FOR POL - D'ELIA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2016 
TAGS: EAID PINR PINS PREL KMCA KHDP SG
SUBJECT: PRIME MINISTER SALL COMMENTS ON MCA, ELECTIONS AND 
CASAMANCE 
 
REF: DAKAR 01149 (NOTAL) 
 
DAKAR 00001204  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Janice L. Jacobs for reasons 1.4 (b and d). 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY: On May 18, the Ambassador called on Prime 
Minister Macky Sall to discuss the status of the Millennium 
Challenge Account (MCA) proposal, the Poverty Reduction 
Strategy Plan (PRSP) and election preparations.  The Prime 
Minister stressed that the MCA Compact is the GOS, highest 
priority and that the Compact needs to be signed this year. 
He described plans to name the board of directors.  He 
reassured us that the elections will take place on February 
25, 2007, and discussed the situation in Senegal,s Casamance 
region.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U) On May 18, the Ambassador and DCM spent 45 minutes 
with Prime Minister Sall and his new diplomatic advisor, 
Ambassador Abdou Salam Diallo.  The Prime Minister welcomed 
the Ambassador, underscoring the cordial relationship between 
Senegal and the United States.  He noted that bilateral 
cooperation is excellent and tat we have worked especially 
closely on the MCA. 
 
MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT 
---------------------------- 
3  (SBU) The Ambassador gave the Prime Minister the ten-page 
&Tasks and Timeline for Senegal,s Diamniadio Platform.8 
She stressed the need to name the Board of Directors and 
suggested that civil society be included.  The Prime Minister 
responded that the MCA is the most important bilateral issue 
and that signing this year is essential.  He said the 
Government is ready to name the Board and that Sogue 
Diarisso, the head of Senegal,s original MCA Task Force, 
will chair it.  In leafing through the list of tasks, the 
Prime Minister noted that some were easy to accomplish; 
however, furrowing his brow, he declared, &American 
management is complicated.8  He said that Habib Mbaye, the 
Director General of the Agency for the Realization of the 
Diamniadio Platform (AMPMD), now provides the Prime Minister 
with a weekly briefing. 
 
POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY PLAN 
------------------------------- 
¶4.  (U) The Ambassador then turned to the PRSP, noting that 
the donors have a number of concerns about it and have 
provided 24 pages of comments.  Sall confessed that he has 
not followed the new PRSP,s devlopment closely, but he 
called Junior Minister for the Budget Habibou Soumare and 
asked that he meet with the Ambassador to dicsuss the state 
of the PSRP.  Sall also offered to host the long-requested 
meeting with the Private Sector Working Group to discuss the 
investment climate and the Accelerated Growth Strategy. 
 
ELECTION PREPARATIONS 
--------------------- 
¶5.  (C) In view of discussions about postponing presidential 
and parliamentary elections until 2009 (reftel), the 
Ambassador asked about election preparations.  She stressed 
the U.S. interest in a fair and transparent process.  The 
Prime Minister said that the Autonomous National Election 
Commission,s (CENA,s) insistence on having representatives 
present for all voter registration had slowed things down, 
but the new USD 30 million voter registration and identity 
card system could ultimately see up to 6 million voters 
registered (counting Seneglese overseas).  Sall insisted that 
the elections will occur on February 25, 2007.  The Prime 
minister also noted that the animated political debate and 
the totally free press ensure that there is no lack of 
democracy in Senegal.  Sall said that the last six polls )- 
in 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2002 ) had all been transparent. 
He added that as the deputy chairperson of the ruling party, 
he is optimistic and has no fears about the elections.  He 
did confide that the Government may amend the constitution to 
eliminate the requirement that the new president must secure 
the votes of at least one quarter of all registered voters 
because the Government is not confident that three million 
people will actually go to the polls since voting is not 
obligatory. 
 
CASAMANCE 
--------- 
¶6.  (C) When the Ambassador mentioned that during her meeting 
with Minister of Interior Ousmane Ngom, he had said that 
voter registration was even going well in Senegal,s troubled 
Casamance region, Sall interjected that there is a new 
outlook in the Casamance.  He insisted that the conflict and 
the peace process are well managed, pointing to the decision 
to allow Movement of Democratic Forces of the Casamance 
 
DAKAR 00001204  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
(MFDC) Atika faction leader Salif Sadio and his supporters to 
flee from Guinea-Bissau to the area near the Gambian border 
without being engaged by the Senegalese Army.  Sall said the 
real issue for the Casamance is investment and that donors 
have been too timid about rebuilding.  Asked about demining, 
Sall that the Senegalese Army is already demining. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶7.  (C) The Prime Minister was relaxed.  His comments about 
the elections taking place on the current schedule were 
reassuring, and his clarification of proposed constitutional 
changes to eliminate the requirement to obtain the votes of 
at least one-fourth of all registered voters helped to put 
the debate about eliminating the requirement for a run-off 
and majorities versus pluralities in a new light.  However, 
we continue to have concerns about the Government,s approach 
to the Casamance peace process, which is not progressing with 
intra-MFDC fighting continuing to prevent a new round of 
talks.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶8.  (U) Visit Dakar,s classified website at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/af/dakar/. 
JACOBS