Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04BRUSSELS1897
2004-05-03 05:25:00
SECRET
Embassy Brussels
Cable title:  

EU ON DARFUR: CEASEFIRE MONITORING, HUMANITARIAN

Tags:  PREL PREF PHUM SU CD EUN USEU BRUSSELS 
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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 001897 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SPG - MERANNEBERGER; PRM - MMCKINLEY; AF -
CSNYDER; DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS USAID FOR D/AA DCHA ROGERS;
DCHA/OFDA - HALMRAST-SANCHEZ; DCHA/FFP - WELLER; USUN FOR
LUTZ; GENEVA FOR RMA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2014
TAGS: PREL PREF PHUM SU CD EUN USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: EU ON DARFUR: CEASEFIRE MONITORING, HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE AND UNCHR ISSUES

REF: (A) STATE 90371 (B) STATE 88689

Classified By: PRMOFF MARC J. MEZNAR. REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 001897

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SPG - MERANNEBERGER; PRM - MMCKINLEY; AF -
CSNYDER; DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS USAID FOR D/AA DCHA ROGERS;
DCHA/OFDA - HALMRAST-SANCHEZ; DCHA/FFP - WELLER; USUN FOR
LUTZ; GENEVA FOR RMA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2014
TAGS: PREL PREF PHUM SU CD EUN USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: EU ON DARFUR: CEASEFIRE MONITORING, HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE AND UNCHR ISSUES

REF: (A) STATE 90371 (B) STATE 88689

Classified By: PRMOFF MARC J. MEZNAR. REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (S) Summary. The EU will contribute personnel and
financial resources to support both the Ceasefire Commission
and other efforts to establish peace in Darfur, as well as to
address the complex humanitarian emergency in the region.
The EU feels the disagreement at the UNCHR meeting was not
over the essentials of Darfur but over tactics. However,
U.S. statements in Geneva have given rise to some speculation
in Brussels over a possible U.S. military intervention in
Darfur if the situation cannot be contained by diplomacy.
The EC is expected to double its assistance resources this
year for Sudan and Sudanese refugees in Chad. On 4/27, the
EU Council expressed "grave concern" over the situation and
called on the GoS to allow full, unhindered access to the
region. End Summary.

--------------
EU Efforts to Support Ceasefire
--------------


2. (C) Following receipt of reftel A, DCM spoke with
Christoph Heusgen, head of EU High Representative Solana's
policy unit, regarding EU efforts on behalf of Darfur.
Heusgen said that following GAERC discussion on 4/26, the
Policy and Security Committee (PSC) met on 4/27 and decided
that the EU must do something beyond humanitarian assistance.
This meant support, logistical and otherwise, for the
Ceasefire Commission and the Joint Commission. He said the
EU will also probably contribute six persons to the Observer
Mission and support logistically contributions by African
countries. Heusgen said the EU would participate in a
"reconnaissance" mission next week to assess needs and to
prepare the ground for greater EU action.


3. (C) PRMOff also discussed these issues with DG Development
Sudan Desk Officer Christian Manahl who made many of the same
points. He said that at the PSC meeting of 4/30, the EU is

expected to offer the following human resources (depending on
the final agreement between the GoS and rebels):

-- one Brussels-based military staff representative to
participate in the AU-led reconnaissance mission to Darfur;
-- one EU representative on the Joint Commission that
oversees the overall implementation of the ceasefire;
-- the deputy chief of staff position of the Ceasefire
Commission (CFC),provided by an EU Member State, to reside
in Darfur;
-- five or six Member State officials to join the group of 25
proposed observers.


4. (SBU) Regarding funding, Manahl said that if no larger
staff protection force (a group of 250 has been on and off
the table) were needed, then funds already in the pipeline
could cover the African contributions to the observer
mission. He referred to a 10 million euro contribution to
the AU's conflict prevention and peacekeeping unit from the
EC. This, of course, is depending on the two parties
accepting AU leadership in such a mechanism.


5. (C) Manahl said that AU Director for Peace and Security
Sam Ibok's efforts in N'Djamena to sell the AU agreement to
the two sides has not been easy. The validity and
sustainability of the April 25 agreement remains doubtful,
taking into account the ambiguous position of the rebels.
Next steps should include clarifying the position of the
rebels and the establishing of a clear schedule and agenda
for the implementation of the ceasefire agreement. The
framework for further political talks also needs to be
clarified.

--------------
EU Analysis of UNCHR Dispute with the USG, Possible U.S.
Military Intervention
--------------


6. (S) Manahl (protect) forwarded PRMOff an internal analysis
of what went wrong in Geneva. It included, "Cooperation
between the EU and US has previously been good, but sharp
divergences have appeared at the UNCHR at Geneva, where the
U.S. undermined a (successful) joint initiative of the EU and
the African Group resulting in the adoption of the Chairman's
decision.... The difference between the EU and U.S.
positions is a matter of tactics and overall objectives
rather than assessment. We have advocated a more
compromising approach towards the African Group in the CHR,
convinced that only close cooperation between the EU and the
U.S. on the one hand, and the AU and Sudan's neighbors on the
other, can secure the consolidation of the ceasefire. The
U.S., on its side, appears to believe that strong additional
pressure on the GoS is necessary to achieve a more
compromising attitude of Khartoum. Furthermore, the U.S. is
also somehow using the Darfur issue to exert further pressure
on the GoS in relation to the north-south peace
negotiations."


7. (S) Another part of the internal EU document which
speculated on a possible U.S. military intervention stated,
"It is presently unclear whether the U.S. would consider, or
is considering, a military intervention in case of a
continuation of the campaign of ethnic cleansing; the
reference to Rwanda (only two weeks after the genocide
commemoration) and Kosovo seems to indicate that Washington
is playing with the idea. It is clear that such a military
intervention would bring the peace process in Darfur, but
also the negotiations between the GoS and the SPLM/A under
IGAD auspices, to collapse.

--------------
EC Expected to Double Aid to Sudanese in 2004
--------------


8. (U) On 4/22, PRMOff delivered talking points contained in
reftel b regarding the worsening humanitarian situation in
Darfur. European Commission (EC) interlocutors are in full
agreement with USG analysis of the situation and need to
support international relief organizations both financially
and politically in order to gain unimpeded access to Darfur.


9. (SBU) In a meeting with ECHO Director Costanza Adinolfi
and her staff on 4/28, she noted that "Sudan has never been
an easy crisis." She said that an ECHO officer had had visa
difficulties to enter the country and although he was
expected to arrive in Darfur that morning they had no
assurances that he would actually make it to the region.
Adinolfi stated that the EC had issued a strong appeal to
warring parties earlier in the day to secure safe
humanitarian access so that the enormous needs of the
displaced and affected populations could be properly
addressed. She said that from a humanitarian point of view
it was irrelevant to assign blame or determine who was at
fault for the deteriorating situation, but that the
international community should work together to meet basic
food and shelter needs. Despite the ceasefire and other
on-going talks between Sudanese authorities and rebels, the
fact remained that there was no real progress with regard to
access. She also pointed out that the negotiated ceasefire
was for only 45 days and that much time had already been lost
by delaying tactics.


10. (SBU) Adinolfi said that ECHO had decided to request 10
million euros from the emergency reserves as part of its
response to the growing humanitarian crisis in Darfur. This
money is in addition to 2004 program funding of 20 million
euros for Sudan as well as 4 million euros for Sudanese
refugees in Chad -- money already in the pipeline. She noted
that the lack of access to the displaced is severely
affecting the absorption rate. If delivery of aid were to
improve, ECHO would be open to requesting additional funds
from the emergency reserves. Because approval for
supplemental funding needs to be obtained from the EU Member
States, the additional tranche of 10 million euros is not
expected to be available before the end of May. ECHO will
apply it towards a variety of sectors in Darfur. According
to ECHO Sudan Desk Officer Javier Perez, the decision to seek
emergency funds is partly a result of USAID Administrator
Natsios' appeal on behalf of Darfur at the recent OECD DAC
High Level conference in Paris.


11. (SBU) ECHO Head of Unit for Africa Steffen Stenberg said
that he expected total funding this year for Sudan and
Sudanese refugees to be double that of 2003. He also noted
the problems associated with access and subsequent problems
of distributing relief aid, as well as the logistical
difficulties which seasonal rains will soon create. He
stressed the importance of remembering the plight of refugees
in Chad which he characterized as "far from settled." ECHO
supports UNHCR as the lead agency in coordinating in Chad and
that of OCHA in coordinating in Darfur.


12. (SBU) EuropeAid Deputy Head for Food Security Robert
Hynderick agreed that there had been a serious increase of
needs in Darfur and said that the EC was expected to increase
its funding from the four million euros it has already
allocated this year. EuropeAid is considering an additional
five million euros for Sudan and one and a half million euros
for Chad channeled through WFP. EuropeAid's funds will be
used to purchase sorghum locally in order to get it quickly
to the displaced populations. Hynderick questioned whether
WFP's plans to airlift half of its food aid to the affected
region was necessary given that the price (which is
denominated in currency rather than tonnage) is already the
highest in the world. USAID Food For Peace reps note we face
similar issues, but we assume we will have to airlift food,
thought hopefully not airdrops.

--------------
EU Statements on Darfur
--------------


13. (U) On 4/15, the Irish Presidency released the following
declaration on behalf of the EU, acceding and associated
countries: "The EU welcomes the signing of the humanitarian
ceasefire agreement between the Government of Sudan and the
SLM/SLA and the JEM. It calls on all parties to observe and
scrupulously respect the rules of that agreement. It
congratulates the Chadian mediators for their efforts to
promote the conclusion of the agreement. It salutes the
commitment of all parties to authorize unrestricted
humanitarian access and facilitate the distribution of
humanitarian assistance to the people of the Grand Darfur
region. In this context it is essential that the Sudanese
Government fulfill its commitment to control the irregular
armed forces known as Janjaweed."


14. (U) On 4/27, the EU External Relations Council adopted
the following conclusion on Sudan: "The Council expressed
its grave concern at the situation in Darfur and called on
the government of Sudan to allow full, unhindered access to
the region for UN and other humanitarian agencies. The
Council called on all parties to fully respect the terms of
the humanitarian ceasefire agreement reach on 8 April in
N'Djamena. The Council noted with concern the actions of the
Janjaweed militias operating in Darfur and called on the
Government of Sudan to take command of all armed groups under
its control."


15. (U) On 4/28, Development and Humanitarian Commissioner
Poul Nielson used an event unveiling ECHO's 2003 Annual
Review to, as the press statement notes, "launch a strong
appeal to the warring parties in the Darfur region of western
Sudan." USEU will forward a transcript of these remarks
septel when they become available.

MINIMIZED CONSIDERED.

SCHNABEL