MOZAMBIQUE - COMMUNITY OF DEMOCRACIES: ELECTION

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000516 SIPDIS STATE FOR G, AF/S - HTREGER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KDEM PREL MZ SUBJECT: MOZAMBIQUE - COMMUNITY OF DEMOCRACIES: ELECTION STANDARDS INITIATIVE REF: A. STATE 71937 ¶B. MAPUTO 476 ¶1. On April 21 Econ/Poloff delivered reftel demarche to Faruk Faquira in the Mozambican Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Faquira stated the GRM agreed with the concept of election standards. However, he said he could not speak definitively on the level of support the GRM would give the elections standards initiative at the April 28-30 Community of Democracies (CD) ministerial in Santiago, Chile. He stressed the GRM understood the universal need for free, fair and transparent elections, and felt the initiative, if approached correctly, could serve as an effective tool in reaching this goal. Faquira added his government would likely support the creation of a working group on the initiative, though he expressed concern over how inclusive such a group ought to be. Noting the CD is comprised of more than 100 countries, Faquira indicated the GRM would prefer a working group relatively smaller and more specialized to a larger, more inclusive body. ¶2. Faquira reported he would attend the upcoming ministerial in Santiago, with Vice Minister of State Administration Carmelita Namashulua serving as delegation head. Contrary to our earlier report on this meeting (ref B),Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Henrique Banze will not attend. LALIME