GENERAL WARD'S MEETING WITH MALIAN DEFENSE MINISTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAMAKO 000219

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PINR MASS MARR
SUBJECT: GENERAL WARD'S MEETING WITH MALIAN DEFENSE MINISTER

REF: BAMAKO 00217

Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson, Embassy Bamako, for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

1.(C) Prior to the meeting with President Amadou Toumani
Toure (reftel),the Ambassador and General Ward met
separately with Defense Minister Natie Pleah and senior
Malian military leaders. While it appeared the Ministry had
decided, or been instructed, to save most issues for the
meeting with the President, several notable items were
addressed by either the Malian or the US side. The Minister
only exchanged pleasantries which included his deep
appreciation for US military assistance. Toward the end of
the meeting, however, he opened the floor to his senior
officers.

2.(C) Colonel Sacafourou Gueye, Chief of Military
Cooperation, requested more training slots for Malian
officers in the United States. Chief of the General Staff
General Seydou Traore praised the success of the December
2007 Air JCET and asked for more exchanges of this nature in
the future.

3.(C) General Ward responded by noting that because IMET is
a State Department program, his influence is limited in terms
of training opportunities in the U.S. He agreed to look into
the matter, however. He also highlighted the following
points:

-- the US has requested a combined assessment of the Gao
airfield in northern Mali to determine its suitability for
heavy aircraft (C-5 and C-17).

-- the US and Mali invoked our Acquisition and
Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) to execute the aerial
re-supply of the Tinzawaten garrison in 2007. Reciprocal
provisions have to be settled. General Traore replied that
the US parachutes were now back in Bamako. Mali must respond
in kind no later than 10 Sep 2008.

4.(C) Comment: Colonel Gueye,s request for more U.S. based
training is consistent across the Malian military. We concur
and support the Malian military's desire for increased levels
of IMET training. While Mali is now a EUCOM/AFRICOM high
priority country within the context of the Trans-Sahara
Counter-Terrorism Partnership, this shift in regional and
continent-wide priorities has not been reflected in IMET or
its management (i.e. the need for a security assistance
office). We will continue to rely on AFRICOM, EUCOM, and
SOCEUR assistance to ensure ACSA requirements are satisfied
without assigning a monetary value to a service the Malian
government has previously provided free-of-charge. Mission
will notify all parties as soon as we recover the airdrop
equipment (parachutes, netting and 463L pallets) from the
Malians.


5. (U) General Ward has cleared this message.
MCCULLEY