FRENCH EFFORTS TO BOLSTER ABUJA TALKS ON DARFUR

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 006434 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM PINR EAID PREF SU FR UNSC SUBJECT: FRENCH EFFORTS TO BOLSTER ABUJA TALKS ON DARFUR REF: A. STATE 168722 B. STATE 172323 C. PARIS 5713 ¶1. (C) Like the USG, France took steps to dissuade Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) leader Menes Menawi from staging a rival conference in Darfur during the Abuja round of talks that began September 15, Sudan deskoff Jeremie Robert told Africa Watcher in a September 20 meeting (ref A). The Quai applied direct and indirect pressure, first by mobilizing former French Abuja representative Andre Janier, now ambassador to Cote d'Ivoire, who retains contacts within the SLM. Second, the Quai relayed a stern message to and through the government of Chad for SLM consumption. ¶2. (C) Robert noted with irony that Janier had had to break off from a visit to Bouake, the rebel stronghold in Cote d'Ivoire, in order to deal with the rebels in Darfur. Janier telephoned SLM leader Mini Menawi to emphasize in no uncertain terms the need to go forward with the Abuja program and timetable. Janier, he said, was dismissive when Menawi rehearsed the familiar complaint that since the African Union had not extended to him -- but only to SLM "President" Abdelwahid Nour -- a personal invitation, Menawi felt no obligation to support this round of the Abuja talks. Robert added that the French had subsequently notified AU official Sam Ibok about the supposed oversight. ¶3. (C) Robert said France conveyed a similar message to the Government of Chad on the need for Menawi's wing of the SLM to postpone its Darfur conference and rally behind the Abuja talks. Chad needed to demonstrate to international critics that it could be an "honest broker" on Darfur, the French told the MFA and the Ministry of Interior, contacting Al-Hami and Mahamet Ali respectively (Note: phonetic spellings),both former mediators at the 2004 N'djamena conference, Robert said. Moreover, the French asked Chad to relay through its own rebel contacts an admonishment that any disruption of the Abuja peace process, e.g. by contemporaneously staging a rival conference, could leave the SLM open to sanctions under UNSC 1591. ¶4. (U) Africa Watcher also shared points regarding U.S. efforts to combat violence against women and girls in Darfur and our interest in greater international assistance and coordination toward that end (ref B). Stating that France shared U.S. concerns, Robert pledged to forward the non-paper internally. ¶5. (C) Comment: Robert continues to underscore French support for USG initiatives on Sudan and interest in close collaboration on Darfur (ref C),a position echoed in separate conversations with AF/E Director equivalent Le Gal. Embassies Khartoum and N'djamena and the U.S. observer team in Abuja are best positioned to validate how Parisian intentions are translating into action on the ground. From post perspective, the Quai d'Orsay would appear open to appeals for targeted coordination, for instance, on manifestly shared goals such as sustaining the Abuja peace process and countering sexual violence in Darfur. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm STAPLETON