AGOA FORUM: FOREIGN MINISTER ALSO CONFIRMS

C O N F I D E N T I A L DJIBOUTI 000654

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF, AF/E, AND AF/EPS
STATE ALSO FOR INR/B
PARIS/LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/11/2015
TAGS: PREL EAID ETRD PINR DJ
SUBJECT: AGOA FORUM: FOREIGN MINISTER ALSO CONFIRMS
ATTENDANCE

REF: DJIBOUTI 000611

Classified By: AMBASSADOR MARGUERITA D. RAGSDALE.
REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) During Ambassador's 6/11 meeting with Minister of
Foreign Affairs Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on New Embassy Compound
(NEC) issues, she informed the Minister of the Secretary of
State's planned participation in the Dakar AGOA Forum July
18-20. She told the Minister that the Secretary's travel to
Senegal would be her first to Africa as Secretary of State.


2. (C) Mahmoud expressed pleasure with the Secretary's plan
to participate and also informed the Ambassador that he would
join Djibouti's Minister of Commerce, Rifki Abdoulkader
Bamakrama, and Director of Commerce, Houssein Elmi Houdon, in
the country's delegation at the AGOA talks. He said he hoped
there would be an opportunity to meet with Secretary Rice but
understood this may be difficult given the large number of
ministers expected to be present at the event.


3. (C) Bio-data on Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahmoud Ali
Youssouf: Born September 2, 1965. He is an Afar from the
Tadjourah district of Djibouti. He earned his Baccalaureate
in Djibouti. He studied at Lumiere University in Lyon,
France, receiving a bachelor's degree in foreign languages in

1990. Youssouf's diplomatic career began in 1992 at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs as head of section in the
International Organizations Department. After management
training in 1995, he took the position of Director of Arab
Affairs. In 1997, he was named Djibouti's Ambassador to
Egypt, where he also served as his country's representative
to the Arab League. He served at the rank of Ambassador
until appointed in 2001 as Minister delegated under the
Minister of Foreign Affairs and charged with International
Cooperation. He became Minister of Foreign Affairs in May
2005 with the most recent government cabinet reshuffle. He
replaced Ali Abdi Farah, whose is still experiencing the
effects of a stroke suffered in February 2005. Youssouf is
fluent in French, Arabic, English and Afar, and also speaks
Somali. He is deemed one of, if not the, most competent of
current government ministers. End bio-data.
RAGSDALE