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.

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Financial and Logistical Details
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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.

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Inviting Israel
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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.

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Comment: Masters of the Last Minute
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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