Niels Marquardt: The consensus and the national reconciliation prior to elections

“An election without internal reconciliation is in no way likely to solve the issue” confirmed Niels Marquardt, acting American ambassador in Antananarivo, while commenting the High Authority of Transition’s intentions to organize elections. The American diplomat is definitely convinced that “the consensus is the best way out of from the crisis” for the Great Isle.

Niels Marquartd officially welcomed whatever efforts contributing to the achievement of such a consensus. He equally emphasized that the most judicious way would be keeping on building on the already signed agreements, namely those signed in Maputo and Addis Ababa, instead of starting a process anew.

At the time of the opened talks beside the presentation of the United States’ embassy facilities in Antananarivo, the ambassador appeared keen on answering to the reporters’ questions about the political crisis in Madagascar. Concerning the recent, and comparatively rather secretive visit paid by a delegation led by Alain Joyandet, French secretary of state to cooperation, in the Malagasy capital city, the US ambassador reiterated that “every attempt to bring lull was useful”