DARFUR PEACE TALKS: MEDIATION PROMISES TO PRESENT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000910 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF, AF/SPG, D, INR, DRL, PRM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SU NI SUBJECT: DARFUR PEACE TALKS: MEDIATION PROMISES TO PRESENT ENTIRE PEACE PACKAGE APRIL 25 REF: A. ABUJA 889 ¶B. STATE 64129 ¶C. ABUJA 792 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: USDEL facilitated meetings between Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) faction leader Minni Minnawi to clarify points of divergence between both sides on integration and border issues. The African Union Mediation Team worked into the early morning hours on April 25 to prepare the final draft peace agreement for presentation to the parties, which is expected today. CDA Hume used an already scheduled meeting with Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha on April 24 again to raise our concerns about the deteriorating situation along the border with Chad. End Summary. - - - - - - - - - - TAHA CONSULTATIONS - - - - - - - - - - ¶2. (SBU) At GOS request, USDEL met with Vice President Taha to discuss prospects for negotiations with SLM faction leader Minni Minnawi. In a strange twist, the Sudanese side insisted that USDEL meet first with Minnawi and make a judgment whether a meeting with Taha would be a success. USDEL said a failure of Taha to meet with Minnawi, after the GOS had set up the meeting, would be a serious blow to trust between the two. In the USDEL/Minnawi pre-meeting, Minnawi shared the main points in a paper he had prepared insisting on integration of units into the Sudanese Armed Forces. ¶3. (SBU) In the 2 1/2 hour Minnawi/Taha meeting (attended by USDEL),Minnawi insisted on a Joint Defense Board and Joint Units, such as the SPLM secured in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Taha refused. He said there should be joint policy, but not joint units. Minnawi insisted his forces could be integrated into the Sudanese Armed Forces as units, but not absorbed as individuals. His people needed security. In the future there should be no janjaweed, nor the Popular Defense Forces, Nomadic Police, and Border Police in which the janjaweed had been given jobs. Despite several long silences, the two leaders maintained a dialogue. Taha asserted that partnership and participation had to be the basis of any agreement, but there could not be co-existence of two separate military forces in Darfur. The government could be flexible on criteria for integration, but the formula applied in the South could not be used in Darfur. ¶4. (SBU) After the meeting, in separate conversations, both sides thanked USDEL for helping to arrange the meeting and to facilitate the dialogue. USDEL urged both to think creatively about how best to improve security within the process of integration and to return to the dialogue. Both sides agreed to do so. - - - - - - - AU MEDIATION - - - - - - - ¶5. (SBU) USDEL met with AU Special Envoy Salim Salim on April 24 to update him on bilateral meetings between the Government of Sudan and Minni on April 23 and 24. USDEL assured Salim that the international partners would immediately support the mediation's comprehensive package once it is put forward. Salim said that the AU mediation team would work throughout the day on April 24 and into the early morning hours of April 25 to go through all four texts (power, wealth, security, and Darfur-Darfur Dialogue). Salim said that the Darfur-Darfur dialogue text is the least fleshed out, but that the mediation will still move it forward. An AU meeting with the partners has been called for noon today. At Minni's request, USDEL is facilitating a meeting between him and Abdelwahid Nur to help them coordinate their positions for the final stage of the negotiations. Late last week, Abdelwahid had initiated a meeting with Minni and welcomed the opportunity to strategize. - - - - - - - - - - - - - CHAD/SUDAN BORDER ISSUES - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶6. (SBU) In a USDEL meeting with Taha on April 24, Khartoum CDA Hume again raised the issue of insecurity along the Chad-Sudan border. (Refs B and C) He repeated that the Government of Sudan has a responsibility to respect Chad's borders. He added that Sudan should implement the Tripoli ABUJA 00000910 002 OF 002 Agreement or find another mechanism to protect Chad's territorial integrity. Taha agreed that stability in Chad is important for the outcome of the peace process in Darfur and said that the Government of Sudan was determined to secure effective implementation of the Tripoli Agreement. He also noted that Chad still is trying to change the realities on the ground in Darfur. - - - - COMMENT - - - - ¶7. (SBU) We anticipate that the AU mediation will give the comprehensive package to the parties today. Neither side will be happy with the documents. The international partners, however, will demonstrate strong support for the mediation's package. FUREY