DEMARCHE DELIVERED: DARFUR/UN PEACEKEEPING

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 002131 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/17/2016 TAGS: PREL KPKO SU NI SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED: DARFUR/UN PEACEKEEPING REF: STATE 133250 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN CAMPBELL FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) Acting Political Counselor delivered reftel demarche to Adamu Emozozo, Assistant Director for African Affairs at the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on August 17. Emozozo said that President Obasanjo continues to use every available opportunity to talk to President Bashir about Darfur. He noted that Bashir was in Abuja in July and may return in September for an African Union Summit on Food Security. The GON continues to support AMIS rehatting, but Emezozo seemed doubtful that the changeover to a UN operation would happen by September 30. Instead, he indicated that the AU was likely to extend the AMIS mandate to January, though he acknowledged that even after the recent donor's conference, the AU lacked sufficient funds to continue AMIS operations until the end of the year. Emezozo also opined that President Bashir may become more open to a UN peacekeeping operation in Darfur as January draws closer, since Bashir is interested in taking over as African Union Chair in 2007. CAMPBELL