(U) Secretary Clinton's June 11, 2009 meeting

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 062163


E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2019
TAGS: OVIP CLINTON HILLARY PREL SG MR
SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton's June 11, 2009 meeting
with Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio


1. Classified by AF Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson.
Reasons: 1.4 (b),(d)


2. (U) Thursday, June 11, 2009; 3:15 p.m; Washington DC


3. (U) Participants:

U.S.
The Secretary
AF A/S Johnnie Carson
PA A/S Ian Kelly
-Jacob Sullivan, Secretary's Office
Andrew Silski (AF/W notetaker)

Senegal
Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio
Ambassador Amadou Lamine Ba


4. (U) SUMMARY. The Secretary's first meeting with the
Senegalese Foreign Minister focused on African regional
security issues, notably the Minister's constructive
role in mediating efforts to restore constitutional
order and democracy in Mauritania. They also discussed
strengthening democracy, good governance, press
freedoms, and fiscal responsibility in the run-up to
Senegal's anticipated signing of a compact with the
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) this autumn.
END SUMMARY.

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BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP
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5. (SBU) The Secretary expressed appreciation to FM
Gadio for his influential and strong leadership on the
continent, and his eloquent advocacy for peace,
security, democracy, and the rule of law. A/S Carson
commented that Senegal was our most reliable, strongest
Francophone ally in Africa and a true friend of the
United States. Offering his personal admiration for the
Secretary, the Minister agreed that Senegal was a good
friend of the United States. Gadio said that terrorism
affected Africa directly as much as it did the United
States and noted that President Wade had organized an
anti-terrorism conference in Dakar promptly after
September 11. Gadio said that Senegal was "available"
to the Obama Administration?especially since many
Senegalese almost believe that they themselves elected
him, he quipped.

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MAURITANIA
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6. (C) In an aside with A/S Carson before the meeting,
Gadio noted that hardliners encouraging President
Abdallahi to take a tough stance so that the June 13
deadline for establishing a transitional government will
pass and provide a rationale for delaying the July 18
polls. As he was leaving Washington immediately for a
resumption of talks, Gadio encouraged the USG to stress
to Aziz and Abdallahi the importance of the compromise
agreement that had been negotiated. Gadio said nobody
or nothing could take away what Abdallahi already had
achieved as the duly elected president. A/S Carson
agreed.

In his meeting with the Secretary, FM Gadio stressed the
importance of the stabilization of Mauritania to Senegal
and to the international community. Al Qaeda is
"knocking on the door" there, and it was urgent to
stabilize the country. "We must push the Mauritanian
parties so the transition is done properly and so that
the Mauritanian people can reclaim their own destiny and
rule their own country." He asked for USG support of
GoS efforts keep up pressure and momentum. The
Secretary offered whatever assistance it takes to help
the GoS "nail it down."

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DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE
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7. (C) The Secretary underscored the criticality of
freedom of speech and of the press to strengthening the
U.S.-Senegal bilateral relationship. She encouraged
President Wade to follow up on his promise to
decriminalize media offenses, and wondered if domestic
concern over such issues might have contributed to the
opposition's substantial gains in the March 22 local
elections. FM Gadio agreed that the ruling party would
be well served to learn those lessons, but opined that
President Wade had done a lot for the media. Senegal
had thousands of newspapers and was a country of
freedom. FM Gadio assured her that because the
bilateral relationship was open, frank, and focused on
strengthening institutions without neocolonial
overtones, "you can count on us" in being more vigilant
about protecting those freedoms.

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MCC
---


8. (C) The Secretary welcomed Senegal's upcoming IMF
negotiations for an updated Policy Support Instrument
and its prospects for signing a MCC compact this autumn,
encouraging the GoS to make progress in unfulfilled
indicators. She agreed that although the GoS had taken
4-5 years in working on the Compact, that extra effort
had the potential in principle to enable the GoS to
disburse funds more quickly than those states who had
only 1-2 years of preparation. The Minister said the
focus of the "$400-450 million" draft Compact was on
transportation in the rural north and Casamance (south).
He had lobbied for a $500 million Compact to ensure that
none of the draft programs would be cut, and said that
if such a Compact were signed, international development
banks would follow suit in investing in the country.

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VISITS
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9. (SBU) The Minister remarked that President Wade, who
serves as chair this year for the Organization of the
Islamic Conference, plans to visit New York in early
July at the NAACP's invitation. He understood POTUS
might also attend the event and solicited a meeting
between the two leaders on the margins of that event.
FM Gadio also encouraged the Secretary and A/S Carson to
pay a visit to Dakar at an early opportunity.


CLINTON