Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08OUAGADOUGOU492
2008-06-10 13:27:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ouagadougou
Cable title:  

Burkina Faso: AF DAS Moss Meeting with Foreign Minister

Tags:  PREL PGOV PTER MCAP EAID UNSC UV 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RR RUEHPA
DE RUEHOU #0492/01 1621327
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 101327Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY OUAGADOUGOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3780
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USUN NEW YORK
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RHMFISS/CDR USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OUAGADOUGOU 000492 

AF/W FOR EPLUMB, JHUTCHISON
NSC FOR KAREN O'DONNELL

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/10/2023
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER MCAP EAID UNSC UV
SUBJECT: Burkina Faso: AF DAS Moss Meeting with Foreign Minister

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OUAGADOUGOU 000492

AF/W FOR EPLUMB, JHUTCHISON
NSC FOR KAREN O'DONNELL

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/10/2023
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER MCAP EAID UNSC UV
SUBJECT: Burkina Faso: AF DAS Moss Meeting with Foreign Minister


1. (C) Summary. Foreign Minister Bassole told AF DAS Moss June 3
that Burkina Faso hoped to help organize an international conference
to seek an overall solution to Tuareg unrest in the Sahel region;
Moss, by contrast, advocated targeted diplomatic efforts, believing
that there was no single solution. Moss felt Mali was willing to
accept international help to address the Tuareg issue, while Niger
viewed it as a domestic, criminal problem. Bassole and Moss
expressed concern about instability in Guinea, were pleased that
Presidential elections in Cote d'Ivoire had been scheduled for
November 30, and agreed that Burkina Faso -- as a non-permanent UN
Security Council member -- should take a leading role in finding an
African solution in Zimbabwe. End Summary.

Tuareg Problems in Mali and Niger:
Regional Conferences, and Algiers Accord
--------------


2. (C) Conferences Versus Targeted Diplomacy: Opening a June 3
meeting with visiting AF DAS Todd Moss, Foreign Minister Djibril
Bassole said that Burkina Faso was trying to help its neighbors in
the Sahel to find a solution to persistent Tuareg unrest. Burkina
Faso discussed the situation with the UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-Moon and hoped to seek an overall solution to the Tuareg problems
by helping to organize an international conference that would address
regional drug and arms trafficking, trafficking in persons, and
security problems for mining operations, as well as the impact of the
food crisis and climate change. Participants would include ECOWAS
countries as well as Algeria and Libya -- both of which have offered
to host the conference. The GOBF intends to engage Dr. Mohammed Ibn
Chambas, ECOWAS Commission President, in the dialogue. Minister
Bassole also mentioned two September meetings: one in Mali to address
the Tuareg issue, and another in Niger with the UN to address
problems of drugs and crime.


3. (C) Moss stated that the U.S. did not recommend a large-scale

conference or summit, and that targeted diplomatic efforts would be
more effective. There was no single solution to the Tuareg problem
that affects all of the Sahel countries from Mauritania to the Sudan,
he felt. Mali and Niger would have to find political solutions that
addressed autonomy, shared resources, limits on military activity,
cooperation between the central government and the Tuaregs, and also
kept out terrorists.


4. (C) Mali: Moss stated the U.S. view that the Algiers Accord was
the most appropriate framework for the negotiations in Mali. Bassole
agreed the Accord was a good agreement, but felt that it did not
address key problems including: the need for infrastructure
development, decentralization, and issues of equality for the
Tuaregs. Bassole added that the GOBF would like to encourage the
Algerians to remain engaged in the process, and that international
assistance was still relevant.


5. (C) Niger: Moss mentioned that, while Mali was willing to accept
international help to resolve these issues, Niger viewed the
situation as a domestic, criminal issue and therefore resisted
external assistance. Moss stated that the Niger Government's tactic
would not be sustainable over the long term. Bassole agreed that the
solution to the Tuareg problem in Niger would most likely involve a
political dialogue leading to a peace settlement. President Mamadou
Tandja could use a military option, but the Niger military does not
have the means to enforce anything, Bassole felt.


6. (C) Moss stated that Bassole's assessment closely mirrored the
U.S. evaluation of the situation, and observed that President
Tandja's April speech in Niamey on the Tuareg issue was not at all
conciliatory. He added that friends of Niger should encourage
dialogue. If the Mouvement des Nigeriens pour la Justice (MNJ) has a
political agenda, it will become obvious. Moss also agreed that a
military solution would not be effective.


7. (C) Moss stressed the importance of regional diplomacy, and said
that if President Tandja were to be more flexible, he could be
remembered after his term ended as a "man of peace." Moss said that
it would not be advisable to amend the constitution to give Tandja
additional time in office. Such a tactic would come at a high
political cost for the government and would anger the opposition. It
would also most likely allow the conflict to continue in its current
state and increase radicalism.

Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire and Zimbabwe
--------------


8. (C) Guinea: Bassole said that the current Government must make
concessions to calm the public, ensure successful elections, and

OUAGADOUGO 00000492 002 OF 002


address the current dissatisfaction among the military over pay
issues. Bassole voiced his concern over the movement of mercenaries
across Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. According to
Bassole, there will be an emergency (ECOWAS) meeting on June 23 in
Abuja to address the situation. Countries attending include Liberia,
Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Niger.


9. (C) Cote d'Ivoire: both the U.S. and Burkina Faso were pleased
that elections had been scheduled for November 30. Bassole added that
the November date fit well into the calendar of technical
preparations to support elections. Bassole stated that Burkina Faso
was discussing with the UN Peacekeeping Office (DPKO) a plan to send
peacekeeping troops to Cote d'Ivoire to help with pre-election
stability. (Note: Embassy learned June 5 that the ONUCI Commander in
Abidjan, Beninese General Fernand Amoussou, had requested that 200
Burkinabe peacekeepers replace a Jordanian unit that would be
rotating out. End Note.)


10. (C) Zimbabwe: Moss and Bassole agreed that the United States and
Burkina Faso should closely monitor the situation in Zimbabwe, which
could worsen in the coming weeks. They also agreed that an African
solution should be found, and that Burkina Faso, as a UNSC member,
should take a leading role.

Jackson