EASTERN SUDAN PEACE AGREEMENT (ESPA) SIGNED

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASMARA 000856

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/16/2016
TAGS: PREL PINR PGOV ER SU
SUBJECT: EASTERN SUDAN PEACE AGREEMENT (ESPA) SIGNED

REF: A. ASMARA 829 B.ASMARA 802

Classified By: CDA K. Andrew Wroblewski, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: On October 14, 2006, the Eastern
Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) was signed in Asmara,
Eritrea. Senior level officials from the region
attended the signing ceremony which was presided
over by Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Sudanese
President Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir and Sudanese
First Vice President Salva Kiir. While the
agreement has many shortcomings, the Eastern Front,
Government of National Unity (GNU) and Eritrean
mediator were all genuinely pleased with the
outcome. End Summary.


2. (U) On October 14, the Eastern Front and GNU
signed the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) in
Asmara, Eritrea. While Afwerki, Al-Bashir and Kiir
presided over the signing, a number of other senior
officials were also present namely the President of
Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelle; the Secretary General
of the Arab League, Mr. Amr Mousa; Egyptian Foreign
Minister, Mr. Ahmed Abulkheit; Yemeni Foreign
Minister, Dr. Abubaker Al-Khurbi as well as the
Kuwait Minister for Emirate Affairs, Sheik Nasser
Asubah Al-Ahmed.


3. (C) The chairmen of each of the delegations,
Mussa Mohammed Ahmed for the Eastern Front and
Mustafa Osman Ismail for the GNU briefly addressed
the audience. Each thanked the GSE for their role
in bringing peace to Eastern Sudan and highlighted
the benefit of not having the international
community involved in the mediation. They further
highlighted the need to now turn their attention to
Darfur and seek a resolution of that crisis.
President Al-Bashir also spoke, expressing his
profound thanks to President Isaias and Eritrea for
their constructive role in mediating the peace
process in a timely way.


4. (C) After a break for Iftar and prayers,
President Isaias addressed the audience (see septel
for full text) stressing the importance of this
agreement in the overall stability of Sudan. He
claimed the agreement "constitutes one of the
building blocks of comprehensive peace in the
Sudan." While Isaias heaped much of the success of
the ESPA process on the Eastern Front and GNU,
particularly the leaders of the delegations and the
GNU leadership, he could not let the opportunity
slip to disparage the international community.
First, he focused on the concept of "international
community" claiming that the term "represents the
interests of the only superpower and its ilk to the
exclusion of all others." Then Isaias went on to
highlight some "cardinal issues," namely cautioning
regional partners about the "paramount importance
of withstanding external interference, as well as
countering overt and covert meddling." Much of
President Isaias' speech was met with enthused
outbursts from members of the National Congress
Party (NCP) and other GNU delegates, however the
Eastern Front remained very quiet throughout his
speech.


5. (U) Following the speeches, Mussa Mohammed Ahmed
and Mustafa Osman Ismail signed the agreement. The
ESPA is composed of six parts: Political Issues;
Economic, Social and Cultural Issues; Comprehensive
Ceasefire and Security Arrangements; Consultative
Conference on ESPA; Implementation Modalities and
Timeline; and General Provisions. (Note: The Full
text of the agreement has been sent via email to
SPG and Khartoum. Many of the details are spelled
out in ref A and B. End Note).


6. (U) The ESPA calls for the parties to hold a
consultative conference within thirty days of
signing the Agreement. Per ref B, the consultative
conference is expected to be held in Tesseney,
Eritrea in early November. The aim of the
consultative conference will be publicizing and
mobilizing support for the ESPA; building up
momentum and providing a conducive atmosphere for
the timely and effective implementation of the
ESPA; and providing a forum for all stakeholders to
present their observations and recommendations to
the national and Eastern Sudan authorities.
Similarly the ESPA calls for the creation of a
Joint Implementation Committee (JIC) composed of
representatives of the GNU and Eastern Front to
monitor the implementation of the ESPA and to be
set up within thirty days of the signing of the
Agreement. Vice President Kiir will chair the JIC
and the to-be-named Assistant to the President from
Eastern Sudan will be the vice-chair.


7. (C) Comment: Post was not surprised by the
anti-international community rhetoric throughout
the ceremony. We believe that Isaias was using the
opportunity to again show the Sudanese that he too
can take a strong stance against the role of
international community - specifically the U.S. -
in the issues of Sudan and the Horn of Africa.
Isaias' rhetoric appears to reinforce the GSE's
determination to garner Sudanese and regional
support for Eritrea to take the lead in finding a
solution to Darfur. End Comment.
WROBLEWSKI