Dear All,

I just spoke this morning (Wednesday) with Ms. Strother Murray, political officer at the U.S. embassy. I had called her to confirm a story that had been publicized in some of the media here in Antananarivo that the U.S. government had decided to accept the Ravalomanana government.

She told me that the official position of the U.S. is that they "acknowledge and accept" the decision of the Haute Cour Constitutionelle that recounted the vote of last December 16, and found that Mr. Ravalomanana had indeed won the presidential election. She said that the Ravalomanana government is and will be the U.S.’s interlocutor here in Madagascar.

So, this doesn’t in itself stop Ratsiraka from holding onto the last straws of power (his guys blew up another bridge the other night just to make their point), but it does go a long way to showing that he eventually may not have any more friends. I still don’t know if France has moved yet, and that will really be the key move.

In the peace of Christ,

Cynthia Holder Rich and Mark Hrecz Rich
PCUSA and ELCA missionaries to Madagascar

The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 41