NATIONAL CONSULTATIVE CONFERENCE TO BEGIN SATURDAY?

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANTANANARIVO 000097


E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2014
TAGS: MA PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: NATIONAL CONSULTATIVE CONFERENCE TO BEGIN SATURDAY?

REF: A. ANTAN 89

B. ANTAN 2/11 1700 EMAIL SITREP


Classified By: Ambassador Niels Marquardt for Reasons 1.4 B and D.


1. (C) Summary. The National Consultative Conference
(NCC) described in ref A could begin here this Saturday,
February 14. Post is supporting this effort with funding and
suggestions on participation, as well as supportive public
diplomacy. We are preparing a press statement welcoming this
breakthrough. End Summary.


2. (C) A/UNSYG Haile Menkerios and FFKM Church Council
President Odon both explicitly identified a broadened circle
of dialogue as a major objective in the February 10 opening
ceremony for negotiations between teams representing the
President and the opposition. Those teams were chaired
respectively by National Assembly President Jacques Sylla and
Tana Deputy Mayor Nirhy Lantu Andriamahazo. Both Sylla and
Andriamahazo diplomatically resisted the suggestion of
broadening the dialogue in their own opening statements:
Sylla said it would "slow things down to add to many others",
while Andriamahazo argued that his team already represents
over 60 different Malagasy political parties. Both the UN
and FFKM rebuffed this resistance, and Menkerios told the
Ambassador late on Wednesday, after a full day of
discussions, that he intended to continue to push forward
toward a NCC (or Round-Table). The Ambassador agreed with
his approach as the best way to create a truly durable,
Malagasy-driven solution to the current crisis, as well as
the national reconciliation that never took place after the
2001-2002 crisis. (Menkerios also said he intends to depart
on Thursday to attend ceremonies in Harare.)


3. (C) On Thursday morning the local UN System Coordinator
phoned the Ambassador to say that the FFKM was preparing to
launch the NCC on Saturday, apparently now with support from
all parties. While the UN has adequate funding of its own
for this conference, he said he was seeking "symbolic funding
support" from all the major donors, in order to project the
image of a broadly-supported initiative. The Ambassador
agreed to provide modest funding and associate the USG with
the effort, provided suggested names on participation
(especially from the private sector, which might otherwise
have been excluded),and agreed to support the effort with
further public statements, as needed and as soon as
appropriate. For now, the launch has not/not been made
public so any supportive statements would be premature.
Meanwhile, the FFKM-facilitated negotiations between the two
sides are continuing today.


4. (C) Post will provide AF/E with a suggested text for a
press statement for release in Washington in support of this
breakthrough, once public.


MARQUARDT