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

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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

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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