VZCZCXRO7770
RR RUEHPA
DE RUEHBP #1361/01 3321052
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 281052Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAMAKO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8447
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 0361
RUEHLMC/MCC WASHINGTON DC 0091

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BAMAKO 001361 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2017 
TAGS: PREL PINS ASEC ML
SUBJECT: THE DEPUTY SECRETARY IN MALI - MEETINGS WITH 
PRESIDENT TOURE AND FOREIGN MINISTER 
 
REF: BAMAKO 01015 
 
BAMAKO 00001361  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson, Embassy Bamako, for 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.(C)  Summary: The Deputy Secretary's November 14-15 visit 
to Mali reaffirmed our strong bilateral ties and sent a clear 
message of support for Mali's Community of Democracy 
Presidency.  President Toure acknowledged the important 
contribution of Millennium Challenge funds, expressed his 
heart-felt thanks to the Deputy Secretary for recent U.S. 
assistance to Malian troops fighting in the north, and 
pledged Mali's continued strong support for the U.S. in the 
fight against global terrorism.  President Toure and the 
Deputy Secretary reviewed the difficult security issues in 
the north and throughout the Sahel region and also discussed 
Mali's offer of 800 soldiers for peacekeeping duty in Darfur 
and the possibility of finding a work-around on Mali's 
inability to sign an Article 98 Agreement.  End Summary. 
 
---------------------------- 
Meeting with President Toure 
---------------------------- 
 
2.(C)  President Toure told the Deputy Secretary that he was 
extremely proud of what he described as Mali's privileged 
relationship with the U.S.  He said one discovers one's true 
friends during times of crisis and thanked the Deputy 
Secretary for the September 11-12 air drop of humanitarian 
 
SIPDIS 
supplies to besieged Malian troops in the northern town of 
Tinzawaten (reftel).  This humanitarian assistance, said the 
President, preserved the dignity and saved the image of the 
Malian Army. 
 
3.(C)  The Deputy Secretary responded that the air support 
was only possible thanks to the excellent level of U.S-Mali 
cooperation, and said he was extremely impressed by the 
spectrum of U.S. assistance to Mali which includes programs 
supported by the DOD, USAID, the Department of State, Peace 
Corps and now the MCC.  The Deputy Secretary assured 
President Toure that the U.S. will continue our military 
cooperation with Mali. 
 
4.(C)  The President expressed concern over the deteriorating 
security in northern Mali, describing the current situation 
as "more and more worrisome."  President Toure said Mali, 
which borders 7 other countries, is unable to patrol a 
frontier that totals more than 7,000 KM.  In addition, the 
peace agreement that ended the Tuareg rebellion of the 1990s 
called for the withdrawal of Malian military forces from the 
north.  Mali's compliance with this agreement created a 
security vacuum that terrorists, extremists and illicit 
traffickers have now turned to their advantage. 
 
5.(C)  President Toure described the continued standoff 
between the Malian government and Tuareg bandit Ibrahim 
Bahanga not as a new Tuareg rebellion but rather as an 
attempt by Bahanga to secure drug and gun trafficking zones. 
Mali regards Bahanga as a terrorist not because he is tied to 
AQIM but because Bahanga rejected the Algiers Accords, 
attacked Malian military and civilian officials, took these 
officials hostage, and planted land mines that have killed 
numerous civilians.  While President Toure did not 
specifically link Bahanga to AQIM, he said Bahanga's actions 
have increased the instability that benefits AQIM. 
"Bahanga," said the President, "is strengthening banditry, 
insecurity, the fundamentalists and Algerian Salafists." 
Mali remains committed to a political solution and continues 
to hope that Bahanga will liberate the hostages and return to 
the framework of the Algiers Accords. 
 
6.(C) Toure said Algeria was "overwhelmed" by the extremist 
threat that now forms a band from Mauritania through Mali as 
far as Chad and Libya.  During a trip to Algiers later this 
month President Toure intends to propose a new security 
cooperation framework with Algeria based on the one Mali 
currently has with Mauritania. 
 
7.(C)  President Toure also requested increased U.S. military 
assistance.  He said Mali is committed to fight terrorists 
who are supported by illicit traffickers but that new and 
largely untrained recruits currently comprise more than 60 
percent of the Malian army.  As a result, the Malian military 
needs equipment, training and more cooperation with the U.S. 
Mali also requires assistance to get its contribution to the 
Darfur peacekeeping mission off the ground.  President Toure 
confirmed that in addition to approximately fifty Malian 
advisors currently working for the peacekeeping missions in 
Haiti, the DRC and Sudan, Mali has offered an additional 
battalion of 800 soldiers for Darfur peacekeeping duties. 
 
BAMAKO 00001361  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
However, since all of Mali's military equipment is currently 
tied up by security issues in the north, Mali is unable to 
meet the material eligibility requirements for UN 
peacekeeping missions.  If the logistical means - in the form 
of 26 Armored Personnel Carriers (APC) - appear, Mali's 
peacekeeping battalion is ready to go. 
 
8.(C)  The Deputy Secretary told the President that he had 
recently discussed the APC issue with Assistant Secretary for 
African Affairs Jendayi Frazer.  The Deputy Secretary noted, 
however, that it is easier for the U.S. to provide 
counter-terrorism assistance than military equipment. 
Providing Mali with military hardware poses a problem given 
the absence of an Article 98 agreement. 
 
9.(C)  As he has stated previously, President Toure said he 
personally favored an Article 98 agreement.  He added that 
the Malian National Assembly, however, would likely not 
ratify an agreement and the presidency would rather not open 
the door for a public debate in the Assembly on Malian 
national security.  Given this restriction, the President 
said he was open to any other possibilities that could 
satisfy the Article 98 requirement.  After the meeting with 
President Toure, Foreign Minister Ouane told the Deputy 
Secretary that Mali would work on a proposal. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
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MCC has President's Personal Attention 
-------------------------------------- 
 
10.(C)  Turning to Mali's Millennium Challenge Compact, Toure 
praised Ambassador Danilovich's appearance on television the 
night before and his clear explanation of the MCC program. He 
said he knew that many African countries had applied for MCC 
support and that Mali's application was one of the few 
accepted.  President Toure said he was pleased to see that 
two thirds of Mali's Compact focused on agricultural 
production.  He said he was personally following the progress 
of Mali's Compact on a daily basis and had decided to locate 
the Malian government entity managing the Compact within the 
presidency to facilitate this oversight.  The President then 
asked how the falling value of the dollar will impact the 
Compact's budget. 
 
11.(C) Ambassador Danilovich said that of the 16 countries 
with MCC Compacts, Mali's program was one of the best and 
that he was convinced Mali's Compact would reduce poverty and 
stimulate economic growth.  Amb. Danilovich told the 
President that the MCC would find a solution that would 
balance the falling value of the dollar and rising oil prices 
in a way that would not negatively affect Mali's Compact. 
 
12.(C)  At the close of the meeting, President Toure told the 
Deputy Secretary and Amb. Danilovich that he had recently 
heard a report on Radio France that described Mali as the 
"favorite child" of the U.S.  President Toure said he was 
extremely happy to hear Mali described as such and that he 
agreed with the description.  "You can," said the President, 
"count on us." 
 
----------------------------- 
Meeting with Foreign Minister 
----------------------------- 
 
13.(C)  Foreign Minister Ouane said it was an honor for Mali 
to welcome the Deputy Secretary, not only for the Community 
of Democracies Ministerial but for an important working visit 
to discuss U.S-Mali bilateral relations.  Ouane stressed our 
shared security and development concerns and described Mali 
as a committed ally in the fight against terrorism.  He said 
Mali's democratic convictions and firm stance against 
extremism provided the basis for a strong partnership with 
the U.S.  Continued insecurity in northern Mali, however, is 
sapping Mali's already limited resources and hampering its 
ability to support development needs.  He said Mali was 
"ready for resolute action against the enemies of liberty" 
and requested an enlarged strategic partnership with the U.S. 
 
 
14.(C)  Ouane said terrorist elements and influences 
currently found in northern Mali originated in Algeria.  He 
drew a distinction between Malian Tuaregs and AQIM, noting 
that Mali's Tuareg population has disassociated itself with 
extremism and terrorist ideologies.  He characterized Malian 
nationals, whether ethnic Tuareg or otherwise, who provide 
economic or logistical support to AQIM as bandits involved in 
trafficking everything from arms to drugs to cigarettes. 
Referring to illicit traffickers and AQIM, Ouane said this 
base must be suffocated so that this extremism does not 
spread.  "We do not want," he continued, "terrorists using 
 
BAMAKO 00001361  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
our territory as a safe haven. Their presence puts in 
question our security and that of the region." 
 
15.(C)  Minister Ouane also discussed Mali's view of 
stability in the sub-region.  Ouane said the region is 
beginning to stabilize and cited recent democratic elections 
in Sierra Leone as one example.  Ouane agreed that the 
situation in Cote d'Ivoire remained precarious.  He said Mali 
follows developments in Cote d'Ivoire very closely due to the 
large population of Malian expats (perhaps as many as two 
million) living in the country, the importance of Cote 
d'Ivoire as a trade route for landlocked Mali, and the 
problems Mali encountered following the last influx of 
Ivoirian refugees into southern Mali. 
 
16.(U)  Participants in Meeting with President Toure 
 
United States: 
The Deputy Secretary 
Ambassador Danilovich, MCC CEO 
Ambassador McCulley 
D Staff Gustavo Delgado 
MCC Mali Director Jon Anderson 
Political Officer Aaron Sampson (notetaker) 
 
Mali: 
President Amadou Toumani Toure 
Foreign Minister Moctar Ouane 
Diplomatic Advisor Mamadou Traore 
Advisor Mamadou Tieoule Konate 
 
 
17.(U) Participants in meeting w Foreign Minister 
 
United States: 
The Deputy Secretary 
Ambassador McCulley 
D Staff Gustavo Delgado 
Political Officer Aaron Sampson (notetaker) 
 
Mali: 
Foreign Minister Moctar Ouane 
Foreign Ministry Secretary General Moussa Diakite 
 
18.(U)  The Deputy Secretary's staff has cleared on this 
message. 
McCulley