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ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 101327Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY OUAGADOUGOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3780
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USUN NEW YORK
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RHMFISS/CDR USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OUAGADOUGOU 000492 
 
AF/W FOR EPLUMB, JHUTCHISON 
NSC FOR KAREN O'DONNELL 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/10/2023 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER MCAP EAID UNSC UV
SUBJECT:  Burkina Faso:  AF DAS Moss Meeting with Foreign Minister 
 
¶1. (C) Summary.  Foreign Minister Bassole told AF DAS Moss June 3 
that Burkina Faso hoped to help organize an international conference 
to seek an overall solution to Tuareg unrest in the Sahel region; 
Moss, by contrast, advocated targeted diplomatic efforts, believing 
that there was no single solution.  Moss felt Mali was willing to 
accept international help to address the Tuareg issue, while Niger 
viewed it as a domestic, criminal problem.  Bassole and Moss 
expressed concern about instability in Guinea, were pleased that 
Presidential elections in Cote d'Ivoire had been scheduled for 
November 30, and agreed that Burkina Faso -- as a non-permanent UN 
Security Council member -- should take a leading role in finding an 
African solution in Zimbabwe.  End Summary. 
 
Tuareg Problems in Mali and Niger: 
Regional Conferences, and Algiers Accord 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Conferences Versus Targeted Diplomacy: Opening a June 3 
meeting with visiting AF DAS Todd Moss, Foreign Minister Djibril 
Bassole said that Burkina Faso was trying to help its neighbors in 
the Sahel to find a solution to persistent Tuareg unrest.  Burkina 
Faso discussed the situation with the UN Secretary General Ban 
Ki-Moon and hoped to seek an overall solution to the Tuareg problems 
by helping to organize an international conference that would address 
regional drug and arms trafficking, trafficking in persons, and 
security problems for mining operations, as well as the impact of the 
food crisis and climate change.  Participants would include ECOWAS 
countries as well as Algeria and Libya -- both of which have offered 
to host the conference.  The GOBF intends to engage Dr. Mohammed Ibn 
Chambas, ECOWAS Commission President, in the dialogue.  Minister 
Bassole also mentioned two September meetings: one in Mali to address 
the Tuareg issue, and another in Niger with the UN to address 
problems of drugs and crime. 
 
¶3. (C) Moss stated that the U.S. did not recommend a large-scale 
conference or summit, and that targeted diplomatic efforts would be 
more effective.  There was no single solution to the Tuareg problem 
that affects all of the Sahel countries from Mauritania to the Sudan, 
he felt.  Mali and Niger would have to find political solutions that 
addressed autonomy, shared resources, limits on military activity, 
cooperation between the central government and the Tuaregs, and also 
kept out terrorists. 
 
¶4. (C) Mali: Moss stated the U.S. view that the Algiers Accord was 
the most appropriate framework for the negotiations in Mali.  Bassole 
agreed the Accord was a good agreement, but felt that it did not 
address key problems including: the need for infrastructure 
development, decentralization, and issues of equality for the 
Tuaregs.  Bassole added that the GOBF would like to encourage the 
Algerians to remain engaged in the process, and that international 
assistance was still relevant. 
 
¶5. (C) Niger: Moss mentioned that, while Mali was willing to accept 
international help to resolve these issues, Niger viewed the 
situation as a domestic, criminal issue and therefore resisted 
external assistance.  Moss stated that the Niger Government's tactic 
would not be sustainable over the long term.  Bassole agreed that the 
solution to the Tuareg problem in Niger would most likely involve a 
political dialogue leading to a peace settlement.  President Mamadou 
Tandja could use a military option, but the Niger military does not 
have the means to enforce anything, Bassole felt. 
 
¶6. (C) Moss stated that Bassole's assessment closely mirrored the 
U.S. evaluation of the situation, and observed that President 
Tandja's April speech in Niamey on the Tuareg issue was not at all 
conciliatory.  He added that friends of Niger should encourage 
dialogue.  If the Mouvement des Nigeriens pour la Justice (MNJ) has a 
political agenda, it will become obvious.  Moss also agreed that a 
military solution would not be effective. 
 
¶7. (C) Moss stressed the importance of regional diplomacy, and said 
that if President Tandja were to be more flexible, he could be 
remembered after his term ended as a "man of peace."  Moss said that 
it would not be advisable to amend the constitution to give Tandja 
additional time in office.  Such a tactic would come at a high 
political cost for the government and would anger the opposition.  It 
would also most likely allow the conflict to continue in its current 
state and increase radicalism. 
 
Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire and Zimbabwe 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (C) Guinea: Bassole said that the current Government must make 
concessions to calm the public, ensure successful elections, and 
 
OUAGADOUGO 00000492  002 OF 002 
 
 
address the current dissatisfaction among the military over pay 
issues.  Bassole voiced his concern over the movement of mercenaries 
across Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.  According to 
Bassole, there will be an emergency (ECOWAS) meeting on June 23 in 
Abuja to address the situation.  Countries attending include Liberia, 
Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Niger. 
 
¶9. (C) Cote d'Ivoire: both the U.S. and Burkina Faso were pleased 
that elections had been scheduled for November 30. Bassole added that 
the November date fit well into the calendar of technical 
preparations to support elections.  Bassole stated that Burkina Faso 
was discussing with the UN Peacekeeping Office (DPKO) a plan to send 
peacekeeping troops to Cote d'Ivoire to help with pre-election 
stability.  (Note: Embassy learned June 5 that the ONUCI Commander in 
Abidjan, Beninese General Fernand Amoussou, had requested that 200 
Burkinabe peacekeepers replace a Jordanian unit that would be 
rotating out.  End Note.) 
 
¶10. (C) Zimbabwe: Moss and Bassole agreed that the United States and 
Burkina Faso should closely monitor the situation in Zimbabwe, which 
could worsen in the coming weeks.  They also agreed that an African 
solution should be found, and that Burkina Faso, as a UNSC member, 
should take a leading role. 
 
Jackson