VZCZCXYZ0012
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBP #0675 1700746
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 190746Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAMAKO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7623

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAMAKO 000675 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR G/JOAQUIN FERRAO 
DEPT FOR DRL/MLGA LAURA JORDAN 
DEPT FOR IO/RHS RACHEL LEATHAM 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2017 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PHUM PREL UNGA ML
SUBJECT: COMMUNITY OF DEMOCRACIES DEMARCHE RESPONSE 
 
REF: STATE 76884 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson, Embassy Bamako, for 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.(C)  Summary:  The Embassy delivered reftel demarche to 
Ambassador Oumar Daou, the Foreign Ministry's Director of 
Political Affairs.  Daou provided details on Mali's financial 
and logistical preparations for the November 14-17 Community 
of Democracies Ministerial in Bamako.  While Mali has 
experience organizing large-scale international conferences, 
many logistical details are often left to the last minute. 
The Foreign Ministry also asked U.S. to deliver, on Mali's 
behalf, Israel's invitation to the Ministerial since Mali 
severed diplomatic relations with Israel in 1973.  End 
Summary. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Financial and Logistical Details 
-------------------------------- 
 
2.(U)  Mali expects to complete a draft budget in June for 
the November 14-17 Community of Democracies Ministerial. 
Mali is "looking for partners" to provide material support 
for the organization of the conference.  The Ministerial will 
be held at Bamako's International Conference Center.  The 
Conference Center is the only venue in Bamako with enough 
space to accommodate simultaneous meetings and working group 
sessions.  Conference participants will be lodged at three 
hotels in Bamako - the Sofitel, the Salam and the Kempinksi - 
all less than five minutes from the Conference Center.  Buses 
will transport participants from the hotels to the 
conference.  Amb. Daou said Mali was not working with Chile 
per se on the conference organization, largely because of the 
vast infrastructure differences between Santiago and Bamako. 
Daou attended the Ministerial in Santiago and took notes on 
how Chile organized the conference. 
 
3.(C)  Daou said Malian civil society groups were somewhat 
involved in the preliminary planning of the Ministerial but 
noted that civil society also sought to protect its 
independence from the GOM.  Mali will invite civil society 
groups to participate in the Ministerial but will leave the 
organization of any civil society meetings or working groups 
on the margins of the Ministerial to the civil society 
representatives.  Oumar Makalou's group has apparently been 
pressing the GOM for information regarding which 
international NGOs will be invited to attend the Ministerial. 
 The GOM is not yet at this point, however.  Invitations will 
likely go out in July once it is clear which countries will 
serve as participants and which ones will be invited as 
observers. 
 
--------------- 
Inviting Israel 
--------------- 
 
4.(C)  Inviting Israel to the Ministerial poses a dilemma for 
Mali, which broke off diplomatic relations with Israel in 
¶1973.  Daou indicated that Mali would not be able to send an 
invitation to Israel directly.  He claimed to be unaware that 
Israel had an Embassy as close as Dakar and said that Mali 
had no intention of reviewing its ties with Israel at this 
point.  He asked if the U.S. would "help us solve this 
problem" by delivering Israel's invitation on Mali's behalf. 
 
----------------------------------- 
Comment: Masters of the Last Minute 
----------------------------------- 
 
5.(C)  Mali has used the Bamako conference center for several 
large-scale international events.  Many organizational 
details, however, are often solved at the last minute.  In 
December 2005 Mali successfully hosted the France-Africa 
Summit, which included 51 delegations and 23 Heads of State. 
Last week's inauguration of President Amadou Toumani Toure, 
also at Bamako's conference center, was not as well organized 
but this was largely due to late arrivals by several of the 
17 delegations and six Heads of State in attendance.  We will 
continue to engage with and monitor Mali's progress in 
Communities of Democracy organization, even as we recognize 
the reality that the pace of the Ministerial organization 
will inevitably fall beneath our comfort level.  We would 
appreciate the Department's guidance on the likelihood of 
U.S. material support and reaction to the proposal that we 
deliver Israel's invitation. 
Leonard