VZCZCXRO9087
RR RUEHPA
DE RUEHBP #0676/01 1700754
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 190754Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAMAKO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7624
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHLMC/MCC WASHINGTON DC 0062

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAMAKO 000676 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2017 
TAGS: EAGR EAID PGOV PTER ML
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT TOURE'S INAUGURATION 
 
REF: BAMAKO 00643 
 
BAMAKO 00000676  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson, Embassy Bamako, for 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.(U)  Summary:  Seven heads of state attended the June 8 
inauguration that swore in President Amadou Toumani Toure 
(ATT) for a second five-year term as President of Mali. 
Secretary of Agriculture Michael Johanns headed the U.S. 
 
SIPDIS 
presidential delegation.  During his inaugural speech, ATT 
pledged to support women's involvement in politics and 
society.  He also suggested formalizing an official role for 
the leader of Mali's political opposition - a departure from 
previous governments in Mali that have attempted to govern by 
consensus.  ATT reiterated these points during a June 9 
meeting with Representative Earl Pomeroy, who attended the 
ceremony at the invitation of ATT, representing the U.S. 
Congress.  He also discussed the progress of Mali's compact 
with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the 
impending privatization of Mali's cotton parastatal and 
Mali's efforts in the global war on terror.  End Summary. 
 
-------------------------------- 
ATT Begins Second Five Year Term 
-------------------------------- 
 
2.(U)  President Amadou Toumani Toure (ATT) was sworn in for 
a second five year term as President of Mali on June 8. 
Seventeen heads of state received invitations for the 
ceremony but only seven (from Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville, the 
Central African Republic, Chad, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and 
Benin) actually attended.  The G-8 Summit in Germany 
prevented several African leaders from traveling to Bamako, 
including former President of Mali and current African Union 
chairman Alpha Oumar Konare.  The inauguration constituted 
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner's first official 
visit to Africa.  Secretary of Agriculture Johanns led the 
U.S. presidential delegation (reftel). 
 
3.(U)  Nearly all of Mali's political elite attended the 
inauguration, including opposition leader and National 
Assembly president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and former Tuareg 
rebel leader Iyad ag Ghali.  Two other opposition leaders, 
Tiebile Drame and Soumeylou Boubey Maiga, were conspicuously 
absent although it was later reported that each had "prior 
engagements."  In his inaugural speech ATT pledged to 
increase economic, education and political opportunities for 
Malian women.  Appropriating the "Things Must Change" 
campaign slogan of Boubey Maiga, who opposed ATT during the 
April 29 presidential election, ATT said he too believed that 
Mali needed to change and promised to initiate new reforms. 
To this end, he recommended investing the leader of Mali's 
political opposition - presumably Ibrahim Boubacar Keita - 
with a formal role within the government.  This would mark a 
departure from previous governments in Mali which attempted 
to incorporate all nation political actors by governing 
through consensus. 
 
------------------------------- 
Rep. Pomeroy's Meeting With ATT 
------------------------------- 
 
4.(U)  Rep. Pomeroy and Charge d'Affaires, a.i. met with ATT 
on June 9.  Topics of discussion included the progress of 
Mali's MCC compact and continued U.S. support for girls' 
education in Mali.  ATT spoke of his concern for the 
effective implementation of the Compact, and noted that the 
MCA, which previously reported to the Prime Minister's 
office, now reports directly to the presidency.  ATT said he 
made this change in order to  highlight to the Malian people 
and the USG his sense of personal moral responsibility for 
effective use of these resources. 
 
5.(C)  ATT reiterated pledges made in his inaugural speech to 
focus on education and the role of women in Malian society. 
He also indicated that he intended to reinforce the role of 
Mali's political opposition by providing a seat in certain 
key governmental institutions for a formally recognized 
opposition leader.  Having also noted the conspicuous absence 
of two opposition leaders - Tiebile Drame and Soumeylou 
Boubey Maiga - from the inauguration ceremony, ATT said that 
Drame was traveling and the Boubey Maiga had telephoned him 
on the evening of the inauguration to apologize for his 
absence. 
 
6.(U)  ATT said that Mali appreciated positions articulated 
by the U.S. at the recent G-8 summit regarding increased aid 
to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS and support for Darfur.  He 
said he also appreciated the direct and frank approach 
adopted by the U.S. regarding the issue of cotton subsidies. 
ATT reported that Mali had informed the World Bank that it 
 
BAMAKO 00000676  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
would be ready to privatize its cotton parastatal in 2008 as 
planned, but that the World Bank must be careful not to 
"kill" Mali's cotton sector as it did, said ATT, in Benin, 
Togo and Cote d'Ivoire.  He stressed the importance of 
selecting strong partners and engaging Malian cotton farmers 
in the privatization process.  He also suggested exploring 
opportunities to add value to Malian cotton within Mali, 
prior to exportation.  Rep. Pomeroy said his experiences in 
the U.S. underscored for him the vital importance of closely 
engaging farmers in reform processes. 
 
---------------------- 
Anti-Terrorism Efforts 
---------------------- 
 
7.(C)  ATT described the threat posed by AQIM in the Sahel as 
"evolving into something dangerous" impacting Mauritania, 
Mali, Niger, Algeria and Chad.  He said "Algerian" terrorist 
elements active in northern Mali are supported by three 
activities - smuggling, the drug trade and arms trafficking. 
He noted that while some Tuaregs are also involved in these 
activities, and others may have commercial relationships that 
provide logistic support to AQIM, neither Malian nor Nigerien 
Tuaregs share AQIM's extremist ideology. 
8.(C)  President Toure thanked USAID and the U.S. military 
for the many development projects targeting Tuaregs and 
others in northern Mali.  ATT said any attempt to resolve the 
threat posed by AQIM must be "collective."  He said Mali was 
prepared to partner with the U.S. against terrorism but 
reiterated that Mali lacked the means to control frontiers 
measuring approximately 600,000 km.  The President said 
military training, material support and information sharing 
were the most important elements the U.S. could provide to 
Mali.  He also said he was looking forward to Admiral 
McCraven's upcoming visit from EUCOM. 
 
¶9. (U)  Congressman Pomeroy also met with the Prime Minister 
Ousmane Maiga, who echoed many of the points made by 
President Toure on USG assistance efforts.  Maiga expressed 
his appreciation for USAID and MCC programs, and praised the 
excellent state of bilateral relations between the two 
countries. 
Leonard