BURKINA TSCTP MEMBERSHIP AND LATEST ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAMAKO 000881 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/W E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER XA XI ML SUBJECT: BURKINA TSCTP MEMBERSHIP AND LATEST ON SAHEL-SAHARA HEAD OF STATE SUMMIT REF: STATE 115500 Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson, Embassy Bamako, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 1.(U) On November 10 the Embassy delivered reftel demarche to the Foreign Ministry's Director of Political Affairs, Sekouba Cisse. Cisse said he foresaw no objections to Burkina Faso's membership in the Trans-Sahel Counter-terrorism Partnership (TSCTP),but that Mali needed some time to review the idea. He observed that the terrorist threat confronting Burkina was likely less that that facing Mali, but noted that Burkina plays an important role in assuring trans-sahel security by combating drugs and arms trafficking. He also pointed out that Burkina would attend a Ministerial level meeting on sahel-saharan security on November 11 in Bamako, and that since Mali and its neighbors were already discussing security issues with Burkina, adding Burkina to TSCTP should pose no problems. 2.(C) The Ministerial meeting was supposed to occur one or two days before President Amadou Toumani Toure's Head of State summit. However, a date for the Head of State portion of the summit has not yet been set. Cisse said Foreign Ministers from five countries, including Mali, would attend. The Ministers are expected to work on an action plan to be presented and signed by Heads of State at a date yet to be determined. Cisse stressed that Mauritania had not been invited to participate in the Ministerial, and joked that Mali feared if they had invited Mauritania, two competing delegations would have arrived. He said Mali has named a new Ambassador to Mauritania but was uncertain when the new Ambassador would travel to Nouakchott or to whom he would present his credentials. 3.(C) Following our meeting with Cisse, former Minister of Defense and former head of state security, Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, confirmed the Ministerial meeting for November 11 in Bamako. Maiga said Foreign Ministers from Algeria, Libya, Niger and Burkina would attend. MILOVANOVIC