AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES SUDAN WITH FOREIGN MINISTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 000409 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2016 TAGS: PREL SU AG SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES SUDAN WITH FOREIGN MINISTER BEDJAOUI REF: STATE 34709 Classified By: Ambassador Richard W. Erdman, Reason 1.4 (b) (d) ¶1. (C) During a wide-ranging discussion March 5 with Foreign Minister Bedjaoui, Ambassador delivered reftel points for participants in the Arab League preparatory ministerial (discussion of Hamas reported septel). After reviewing points on Iraq and Syria, Ambassador turned to Sudan, noting that the U.S. sought strong African leadership of AMIS, but re-hatted as a UN PKO. Bedjaoui said Algeria had been studying this issue since the AU summit. The AU, he said, had men and arms, but no money for an expanded operation. He noted there was no need for the AU to take the lead, since the Security Council had the authority to transform the mission. Algeria had asked Sudanese President Bashir to make progress on Darfur before the next AU summit in July. ¶2. (C) In response to the Ambassador's comment that the U.S. was seeking additional funds to finance AMIS, Bedjaoui said the AU was ready to send more troops but the UN would have to pay for them. A combined UN/AU operation would allow Khartoum to save face while addressing the crisis in Darfur. ¶3. (C) Turning to Sudan's scheduled assumption of the Arab League presidency at the Arab summit at the end of March, Ambassador noted that the AU had understood the problems associated with having Sudan as its president and had selected Congo Brazzaville instead. We urged the Arabs to consider following the AU's example and find another country to serve as Arab League president. Bedjaoui indicated that it would be very difficult to change the Arab League's procedures, which unlike the AU were based on a scheduled rotation. Bedjaoui added that the U.S. objected to Sudan assuming the Arab League presidency due to Darfur, but Algeria felt that becoming Arab League president would help Sudan's leadership understand what they had to do. Sudan's leaders were close to the Saudis, he commented, so the Saudis could help them. Darfur was a terrible situation which should be handled by the UNSC. ERDMAN