PRC-SUDAN: CHINA HOLDING FAST ON SIX-MONTH

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 020892 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2016 TAGS: PREL UNSC SU CH SUBJECT: PRC-SUDAN: CHINA HOLDING FAST ON SIX-MONTH MANDATE FOR DARFUR EXPERT PANEL REF: STATE 162339 Classified By: Political External Unit Chief, Acting, Mark Tesone. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (C) Summary: China sees no need to provide the Panel of Experts responsible for the Darfur region of Sudan with a one-year mandate, MFA International Organizations Department UN Division Deputy Director Yao Shaojun told poloff September ¶28. The ultimate resolution of the Darfur issue depends more on gaining Government of Sudan support and less on the work of the UN Panel, he said. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Drawing on reftel points, poloff September 28 urged China to support a one-year renewal of the mandate for the Sudan Panel of Experts appointed by UNSC resolution 1591 of ¶2005. Yao said many other expert panels, such as the one responsible for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, complete their mission with a six-month mandate and a small number of experts. China sees no special circumstances justifying a longer mandate or a fifth expert in Sudan. ¶3. (C) Poloff emphasized the deteriorating situation in Sudan, the dangerous conditions in Darfur where the panel has worked and the importance of providing the panel with resources necessary to deliver high-quality reports to the Security Council and the Sudan Sanctions Committee. He left reftel points as a non-paper. China agrees that the situation in Darfur is serious, Yao said, but believes resolution of the issue will be determined more by Government of Sudan support for an international solution and less on the work of the UN Panel. SEDNEY