US embassy cable - 05DJIBOUTI654

C O N F I D E N T I A L DJIBOUTI 000654 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF, AF/E, AND AF/EPS 
STATE ALSO FOR INR/B 
PARIS/LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/11/2015 
TAGS: PREL, EAID, ETRD, PINR, DJ 
SUBJECT: AGOA FORUM: FOREIGN MINISTER ALSO CONFIRMS 
ATTENDANCE 
 
REF: DJIBOUTI 000611 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR MARGUERITA D. RAGSDALE. 
REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). 
 
 1. (C) During Ambassador's 6/11 meeting with Minister of 
Foreign Affairs Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on New Embassy Compound 
(NEC) issues, she informed the Minister of the Secretary of 
State's planned participation in the Dakar AGOA Forum July 
18-20.  She told the Minister that the Secretary's travel to 
Senegal would be her first to Africa as Secretary of State. 
 
2. (C) Mahmoud expressed pleasure with the Secretary's plan 
to participate and also informed the Ambassador that he would 
join Djibouti's Minister of Commerce, Rifki Abdoulkader 
Bamakrama, and Director of Commerce, Houssein Elmi Houdon, in 
the country's delegation at the AGOA talks.  He said he hoped 
there would be an opportunity to meet with Secretary Rice but 
understood this may be difficult given the large number of 
ministers expected to be present at the event. 
 
3. (C) Bio-data on Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahmoud Ali 
Youssouf:  Born September 2, 1965.  He is an Afar from the 
Tadjourah district of Djibouti.  He earned his Baccalaureate 
in Djibouti. He studied at Lumiere University in Lyon, 
France, receiving a bachelor's degree in foreign languages in 
1990.  Youssouf's diplomatic career began in 1992 at the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs as head of section in the 
International Organizations Department.  After management 
training in 1995, he took the position of Director of Arab 
Affairs.  In 1997, he was named Djibouti's Ambassador to 
Egypt, where he also served as his country's representative 
to the Arab League.  He served at the rank of Ambassador 
until appointed in 2001 as Minister delegated under the 
Minister of Foreign Affairs and charged with International 
Cooperation. He became Minister of Foreign Affairs in May 
2005 with the most recent government cabinet reshuffle.  He 
replaced Ali Abdi Farah, whose is still experiencing the 
effects of a stroke suffered in February 2005.  Youssouf is 
fluent in French, Arabic, English and Afar, and also speaks 
Somali. He is deemed one of, if not the, most competent of 
current government ministers.  End bio-data. 
RAGSDALE