British and French Sound Out Tanzanians on

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAR ES SALAAM 000253 SIPDIS Department for S/WCI AND AF/RSA E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/07/15 TAGS: PREL KAWC SU TZ SUBJECT: British and French Sound Out Tanzanians on Sudan Tribunal Concept REF: A) Dar es Salaam 206, B) State 18243, C) Dar es Salaam 155, D) State 11751 Classified by Charge d'Affaires Michael S. Owen for reasons 1.4(B) and (D) ¶1. (C) The French Deputy Chief of Mission in Tanzania raised the alternative proposals for a Sudan Tribunal during a February 3 courtesy call at the US Embassy. Apparently acting on instructions, French DCM Terence Wills asked Poloff what position we thought Tanzania was likely to take in the Security Council with regard to the two competing concepts for a Sudan Tribunal. Wills said that he had discussed the question with the Foreign Ministry's Director for Multilateral Affairs Liberata Mulamula, and that the Tanzanian's seemed "embarrassed" to have to decide between the US and the UN proposals. Wills said that the Tanzanians claimed to be among the founders of the International Criminal Court (he noted that was an exaggeration) and said that they did not want to take a position that would undermine the ICC. Nonetheless, they were tempted by the US proposal for a joint UN/AU tribunal, to be stationed in Arusha, which would both build AU capacity and cushion Arusha from the economic shock of the ICTR's eventual drawdown. ¶2. (C) Charge met French Ambassador Emmanuelle d'Achon at a social event later the same day, and d'Achon sounded a similar note, seeking latest USG thoughts and saying she thought it "unlikely" the GOT would come out strongly in favor of the AU tribunal concept. ¶3. (C) UK High Commissioner Andrew Pocock met with Charge the following day and immediately raised the same issue. Pocock also said he had discussed the issue with the GOT Foreign Ministry and sensed Tanzanian hesitation in supporting the AU tribunal. He said he hoped there was "flexibility" in the USG position, and above all hoped we could avoid a veto on this issue in the Security Council. ¶4. (C) Wills, d'Achon, and Pocock all asked what positions we thought Tanzania would eventually take on the Security Council, and how far the US would be willing to compromise. We refrained from divulging details of the Embassy's discussions with Ambassador Mulamula (Reftels A and C),but observed that on this issue, as on many others, the Tanzanians strongly supported the AU and favored strengthening the AU. We gave no indication of US willingness to concede our position on this issue. ¶5. (C) Comment: The British and French have obviously received instructions to weigh in forcefully on this issue with the GOT (and no doubt elsewhere),so we can expect them to exert significant pressure on the Tanzanians to sign on to an ICC referral. End comment. OWEN