US embassy cable - 05MAPUTO516

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000516 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR G, AF/S - HTREGER 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM, PREL, MZ, Democracy 
SUBJECT: MOZAMBIQUE - COMMUNITY OF DEMOCRACIES: ELECTION 
STANDARDS INITIATIVE 
 
REF: A. STATE 71937 
B. MAPUTO 476 
 
1. On April 21 Econ/Poloff delivered reftel demarche to Faruk 
Faquira in the Mozambican Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 
Faquira stated the GRM agreed with the concept of election 
standards. However, he said he could not speak definitively 
on the level of support the GRM would give the elections 
standards initiative at the April 28-30 Community of 
Democracies (CD) ministerial in Santiago, Chile. He stressed 
the GRM understood the universal need for free, fair and 
transparent elections, and felt the initiative, if approached 
correctly, could serve as an effective tool in reaching this 
goal. Faquira added his government would likely support the 
creation of a working group on the initiative, though he 
expressed concern over how inclusive such a group ought to 
be. Noting the CD is comprised of more than 100 countries, 
Faquira indicated the GRM would prefer a working group 
relatively smaller and more specialized to a larger, more 
inclusive body. 
 
2. Faquira reported he would attend the upcoming ministerial 
in Santiago, with Vice Minister of State Administration 
Carmelita Namashulua serving as delegation head. Contrary to 
our earlier report on this meeting (ref B), Vice Minister of 
Foreign Affairs Henrique Banze will not attend. 
LALIME