AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MALIAN PRESIDENT AMADOU

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BAMAKO 000754 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/22/2019 TAGS: ASEC PINR PREL PTER SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MALIAN PRESIDENT AMADOU TOUMANI TOURE REF: BAMAKO 619 Classified By: Ambassador Gillian A. Milovanovic, Embassy Bamako, for r easons 1.4 (b) (d) SUMMARY ¶1. (S) ON November 21 the Ambassador met with Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure (ATT) to discuss security in Northern Mali in the context of U.S. Africa Command General William E. ("Kip") Ward's planned November 27 visit, follow-up to the November 19 hard landing 65 miles from Bamako of a plane carrying U.S. military personnel, and preparations for the visit of the parents of ex-Peace Corps volunteer Christine Nardone, who was killed in a freak accident in Mali in 2008. ATT was accompanied by his Secretary General, Diango Cissoko. End Summary SECURITY IN NORTHERN MALI ¶2. (S) ON November 21 the Ambassador met with Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure (ATT). The Ambassador noted that while ATT was in Rome for the World Summit ON Food Security earlier in the week she and RAO passed to the Director General for External Security (DGSE),Mamy Coulibaly, information that there was an imminent threat of taking Western hostages in Gao. As a result of the U.S. request, the Malian DGSE and Army visibly reinforced security and the plot in Gao appears to have been thwarted. The USG does not know where or when he will try again, but there is every indication the individual masterminding the kidnapping plot has not given up. Al Q,Aida in the Lands of the Maghreb (AQIM) has clearly crossed the line, and will continue to seek to take hostages for ransom in Mali, not just outside of the country. The Ambassador said she hopes she will be able to count ON the President,s support, if and when we again seek Malian help. ¶3. (S) ATT said he was in complete agreement with Coulibaly,s decision. He noted that he was late for his meeting with the Ambassador because of an earlier meeting with the leaders of Northern Mali to discuss security preparations for upcoming music festivals and said the Northern leaders had explained to him the various additional security measures that had been taken in the region of Kidal, in northwest Mali. He pointed out that, frequently, hostage-takers are intermediaries who do not work directly for or with AQIM. He said Mali and Niger have no choice but to work together ON security issues straddling the border between the two nations. PREPARATION FOR GENERAL WARD,S VISIT ¶4. (S) The Ambassador said that the USG has made a good start with the training and equipping of the Echelons Tactiques Inter-Armes (ETIAs),Malian Army units designed specifically to combat AQIM. She noted that as a result of the hostage taking threat, U.S. Army and Navy forces had been forced to freeze training of an ETIA and of the 33rd paratroop brigade, respectively, but said training has resumed and she expected them to try to make up for the delay. She said that during his scheduled November 27 visit, General William E. ("Kip") Ward will be asking about ATT's plans to use the Malian Army units trained and equipped by the United States in the fight against AQIM. Finally, the Ambassador mentioned that consumable items purchased by the USG to support the ETIAs, including beans and rice and fuel, have been held up by customs and the Finance Ministry when they should be allowed duty free entry. ¶5. (S) ATT instructed his Secretary General, who accompanied him in the meeting, to contact the Minister of Finance and order the immediate release of the items. He said he is very much looking forward to the visit of General Ward. As for Malian plans, ATT said he is preparing the population of the north for the increased security posture anticipated. Sensitization of the public would be a key aspect of success. A combined joint staff of the Algerian, Malian, Mauritanian, and Nigerian armies had been established, in principle, in the southern Algerian city of Tamanrasset. ATT expressed frustration of the lack of Algerian FOLLOW up and FOLLOW through. He was pleased with Mauritanian activism but concerned that Mauritania was acting BAMAKO 00000754 002 OF 003 on its own without coordination. He expressed a strong desire for the development and implementation of a joint Mali, Algeria, and Mauritania operations plan to jointly go after AQIM. ATT said that since the Malian Army essentially withdrew from the Kidal region in 1991, it has left a vacuum in an area of 700,000 square kilometers which is exploited by traffickers, bandits, and criminals. ATT said he has decided to reestablish a permanent military presence in Tessalit and at three other sites, one along the border with Mauritania, one along the border with Algeria, and one near Kidal. ¶6. (S) The Ambassador said that when Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense Vickie Huddleston was recently in Algeria, she stressed the importance of regional cooperation among the states of the Sahel and the Maghreb. ATT said Mali enjoys a good cooperative relationship with Mauritania and agreed about the importance of regional cooperation. He said Algeria often complains that Mali does nothing to aid in the fight against AQIM, but in reality, the Algerians do not do much. AQIM is not going to confront the Malian Army directly, and will simply fade away across the border when attacked. AQIM gets many key supplies from sources in Algeria. This is why cooperation is so important. ¶7. (S) When the Ambassador asked ATT about plans to hold a heads of state meeting in Bamako, he said that it is extraordinarily difficult to get Sahel and Maghreb states to agree ON anything: when one wants to move forward, the other is busy, or gets insulted. The heads of state meeting is political, and does not stand in the way of greater cooperation at the tactical level, which could use the combined joint staff in Tamanrasset as a starting point. ATT said Mali most needed Algerian support for its fight against AQIM, but said that support, foreseen in an operations plan Mali proposed to the Algerians, has not been forthcoming. AFTERMATH OF PLANE CRASH ¶8. (S) The Ambassador next thanked ATT for Malian Army help in the aftermath of the November 19 hard landing of a plane carrying U.S. military personnel approximately 65 miles from Bamako. She said the Malian Army used one of its ultra-light aircraft to land near the site, helped locate the plane, guided rescue workers, including Malian military ambulances, and aided in securing the wreckage. Malian Army units from a nearby base have helped the U.S. Army secure the remote site. ATT said it is natural that the Malian Army help -- &after all, you have come for us, we are just doing our duty.8 The Ambassador next noted that the U.S. Air Force plane sent to evacuate the injured had been prevented from taking off from Bamako,s Senou Airport for three hours on the night of November 20, ON the pretext that the crew had not paid landing fees. Chief of Defense General Podgigou had to be called and intervened directly to get the plane released. The Ambassador said this was not the first instance such an anomaly had happened, but that this time, lives were at stake. She said there should be a system whereby U.S. military planes can be permitted to take off and land, and discussions about landing fees can be settled later. ¶9. (S) ATT expressed surprise, muttering, &Mon Dieu!8 He turned again to his Secretary General, commanding him to have the Director of Civil Aviation and Minister of Transport speak with him ON his return next week from Qatar. Turning back to the Ambassador, he vowed to fix the problem and to keep her informed. ¶10. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that the parents of ex-Peace Corps volunteer Christine Nardone, who was killed in a freak accident in Mali when a faultily constructed water tower collapsed ON her, are planning to travel to Mali in early December for a commemorative ceremony. The Ambassador reminded the President of his earlier commitment to award Ms. Nardone posthumously the rank of Knight of the Malian Legion of Honor. She asked if the President would be making the award himself or would be delegating the task to someone else in the government. The President said everything was already set: He planned to present the award himself and would like to make some brief remarks and meet her parents. The Ambassador thanked ATT, who in turn instructed the Secretary General to set a date with the Embassy. BROAD U.S. COMMITMENT TO MALI,S DEVELOPMENT BAMAKO 00000754 003 OF 003 ¶11. (SBU) In conclusion, the Ambassador noted that the U.S. Government,s engagement with the Government of Mali was not only focused ON military security. In point of fact, the United States is preparing to hand over 29 trucks and 90 motorcycles to the Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock and Fisheries so that agricultural extension agents can more easily travel around the country. ATT expressed gratitude, and instructed the Secretary General to contact the Ministries to ensure that the hand-over is a success. MILOVANOVIC