COMMUNITY OF DEMOCRACIES DEMARCHE RESPONSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAMAKO 000675 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR G/JOAQUIN FERRAO DEPT FOR DRL/MLGA LAURA JORDAN DEPT FOR IO/RHS RACHEL LEATHAM E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2017 TAGS: KDEM PGOV PHUM PREL UNGA ML SUBJECT: COMMUNITY OF DEMOCRACIES DEMARCHE RESPONSE REF: STATE 76884 Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson, Embassy Bamako, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 1.(C) Summary: The Embassy delivered reftel demarche to Ambassador Oumar Daou, the Foreign Ministry's Director of Political Affairs. Daou provided details on Mali's financial and logistical preparations for the November 14-17 Community of Democracies Ministerial in Bamako. While Mali has experience organizing large-scale international conferences, many logistical details are often left to the last minute. The Foreign Ministry also asked U.S. to deliver, on Mali's behalf, Israel's invitation to the Ministerial since Mali severed diplomatic relations with Israel in 1973. End Summary. -------------- Financial and Logistical Details -------------- 2.(U) Mali expects to complete a draft budget in June for the November 14-17 Community of Democracies Ministerial. Mali is "looking for partners" to provide material support for the organization of the conference. The Ministerial will be held at Bamako's International Conference Center. The Conference Center is the only venue in Bamako with enough space to accommodate simultaneous meetings and working group sessions. Conference participants will be lodged at three hotels in Bamako - the Sofitel, the Salam and the Kempinksi - all less than five minutes from the Conference Center. Buses will transport participants from the hotels to the conference. Amb. Daou said Mali was not working with Chile per se on the conference organization, largely because of the vast infrastructure differences between Santiago and Bamako. Daou attended the Ministerial in Santiago and took notes on how Chile organized the conference. 3.(C) Daou said Malian civil society groups were somewhat involved in the preliminary planning of the Ministerial but noted that civil society also sought to protect its independence from the GOM. Mali will invite civil society groups to participate in the Ministerial but will leave the organization of any civil society meetings or working groups on the margins of the Ministerial to the civil society representatives. Oumar Makalou's group has apparently been pressing the GOM for information regarding which international NGOs will be invited to attend the Ministerial. The GOM is not yet at this point, however. Invitations will likely go out in July once it is clear which countries will serve as participants and which ones will be invited as observers. -------------- Inviting Israel -------------- 4.(C) Inviting Israel to the Ministerial poses a dilemma for Mali, which broke off diplomatic relations with Israel in ¶1973. Daou indicated that Mali would not be able to send an invitation to Israel directly. He claimed to be unaware that Israel had an Embassy as close as Dakar and said that Mali had no intention of reviewing its ties with Israel at this point. He asked if the U.S. would "help us solve this problem" by delivering Israel's invitation on Mali's behalf. -------------- Comment: Masters of the Last Minute -------------- 5.(C) Mali has used the Bamako conference center for several large-scale international events. Many organizational details, however, are often solved at the last minute. In December 2005 Mali successfully hosted the France-Africa Summit, which included 51 delegations and 23 Heads of State. Last week's inauguration of President Amadou Toumani Toure, also at Bamako's conference center, was not as well organized but this was largely due to late arrivals by several of the 17 delegations and six Heads of State in attendance. We will continue to engage with and monitor Mali's progress in Communities of Democracy organization, even as we recognize the reality that the pace of the Ministerial organization will inevitably fall beneath our comfort level. We would appreciate the Department's guidance on the likelihood of U.S. material support and reaction to the proposal that we deliver Israel's invitation. Leonard