STABILITY IN AFGHANISTAN KEY FOR SEYCHELLES

UNCLAS PORT LOUIS 000400 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL AF PK SE SUBJECT: STABILITY IN AFGHANISTAN KEY FOR SEYCHELLES REF: A. SECSTATE 122731 ¶B. SECSTATE 122234 ¶C. SECSTATE 123222 ¶1. (SBU) On December 2, Charge Walkley personally discussed reftel A points with Seychelles President James Michel. The CDA stated that the Al-Qaeda planning for September 11 came out of Afghanistan and that the stability in Afghanistan is a matter of international security. Michel agreed, adding that stability in Afghanistan is crucial. The CDA also delivered reftel points to Jean-Paul Adam, Principal Secretary for the Office of the President, who echoed the president by noting that because the economy of the Seychelles is increasingly linked to the Middle East, stability in Afghanistan is critical to the Indian Ocean region. ¶2. (U) President Obama's reftel policy speech was not widely covered in the Seychelles media. The Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) broadcast limited excerpts on radio and TV on the evening of December 2, with dubbing in Creole and French. There was no newspaper coverage to date. ¶3. (U) In anticipation of the President's speech, Embassy Public Affairs posted on its Seychelles Virtual Presence Post (SVPP) website a weblink to the speech on America.gov. A press release announcing the date and time of the President's speech was sent in advance to all Seychelles media. Immediately following the first broadcast of the speech, a weblink was established on the SVPP website and links also were established to the Afghanistan policy webchats at America.gov. WALKLEY