DEMARCHE DELIVERED: SADC SUMMIT ON MADAGASCAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L GABORONE 000488 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/E AND AF/S E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2019 TAGS: PREL SADC MA BC SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED: SADC SUMMIT ON MADAGASCAR REF: STATE 63557 Classified By: Ambassador Stephen J. Nolan for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) Ambassador Nolan met with Botswana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Samuel Outlule on June 19 to deliver reftel demarche regarding the upcoming SADC summit on Madagascar. Outlule told the Ambassador that he was leaving this afternoon for the summit and that the Botswana delegation would be led by Minister of Defense, Justice, and Security Dikgakgamatso Seretse. Mr. Outlule agreed in principle with our demarche points and said that only the Swazi delegation was now advocating for military intervention in Madagascar. ¶2. (C) Ambassador was unable to reach SADC Executive Secretary Tomaz Salomao, who had already traveled to the summit. However, he sent a non-paper based on the talking points from reftel demarche to Salomao's assistant who said she would try to pass the information to him. The Ambassador has not yet been able to reach Lt. Gen. Tanki Mothae, the Director of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense, and Security, to pass the same message. However, in previous conversations during the past two weeks with both Salomao and Mothae, Embassy officers have reiterated the USG position that threats of military intervention in Madagascar are not helpful and stressed the need for elections there as soon as possible, preferrably by the end of 2009. NOLAN