EGYPT CLEAR ON USG APPREHENSIONS OF BASHIR AS

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 009471

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PTER EG SU
SUBJECT: EGYPT CLEAR ON USG APPREHENSIONS OF BASHIR AS
AFRICAN UNION PRESIDENT; SHARES CONCERNS OVER UNRESOLVED
DARFUR CRISIS.

REF: STATE 226663 (NOTAL)

Classified by ECPO Counselor John Desrocher for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).


1. (C) During a December 22 meeting with poloff, MFA
Assistant Minister for African Affairs Mohamed al Higazy
shared that he was already aware of USG discomfort at the
prospect of Sudanese President Bashir being offered the
Presidency of the African Union at the January summit in
Khartoum. Higazy said that the Egyptian Embassy in
Washington had recently reported U.S. thinking on this topic.
Higazy explained that it would be diplomatically difficult
for Egypt to tell its southern neighbor "no," should Khartoum
make a strong pitch for the AU position. Nevertheless, he
said that there was already considerable back-channel
discussion among AU members of alternatives to a Sudan
presidency.


2. (C) Poloff also suggested Egypt use its influence with
Khartoum ahead of the January AU summit and the Arab League
March Khartoum summit to be as forthcoming and creative as
possible at the Abuja talks to reach final agreements to end
the crisis in Darfur. It was not in anyone's interest to sit
back and allow rebel group disunity to prevent resolution to
the crisis. Higazy said that Egypt understood the dangers of
allowing the Darfur crisis to fester, particularly in light
of the growing security chaos along the Chad border and
growing instability in Njdamena. He expected that these
would be topics of discussion during his bilateral
consultations in Washington January 11.

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