Cablegate: Mali: Au Psc to Ramp Up Pressure On Mauritanian

VZCZCXRO2425
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHBP #0956 3571425
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221425Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY BAMAKO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9859
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BAMAKO 000956

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL USAU MR ML
SUBJECT: MALI: AU PSC TO RAMP UP PRESSURE ON MAURITANIAN
JUNTA

REF: STATE 132307

(SBU) The Embassy delivered reftel demarche to the Foreign
Ministry's Director of Political Affairs, Sekouba Cisse, on
December 18. isse affirmed that Mali is following the issue
cosely, both because Mali is a member of the AU Peae and
Security Council and because Mauritania isa neighbor. Cisse
noted that Mali's role as a dfender of democracy and
constitutionality is well known, and that Mali continues to
advocate for the unconditional liberation of President
Abdallahi and a constitutional solution. In other words,
said Cisse, Mali's position on Mauritania remains unchanged.
Cisse described the Mauritanian military junta's "National
Dialogue on Democracy" as a "palliative" that failed to
correspond to the demands of the African Union, European
Union or U.S. He stressed that Mali and the U.S. were "on
the same wave length" in regard to Mauritania, but said steps
could be taken to improve the coherence of positions taken by
the AU, ECOWAS, the EU, and the United States.
MILOVANOVIC

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