SUDAN: DARFUR'S MINI MENNAWI WARMLY WELCOMED IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 004258 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (ADDING CLASSIFIED BY STATEMENT) SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/10/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID MOPS PTER KPKO EG SU CD SUBJECT: SUDAN: DARFUR'S MINI MENNAWI WARMLY WELCOMED IN EGYPT CAIRO 00004258 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: CATHERINE HILL-HERNDON FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) Summary: Darfur rebel leader Mini Mennawi is currently in Cairo, Egypt with a large delegation from the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) faction he represents, preparing to depart for Washington, DC, where he expects to meet with President Bush and other senior USG officials. In Cairo, Mennawi was publicly received by Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit, Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa, and has been afforded wide access to local and international media. Egyptian contacts said the relatively warm and visible reception for Mennawi was intended to signal Arab support for the Darfur rebels who signed the May 5 Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA),and to discourage "spoilers" from undermining efforts to restore peace and stability to Darfur. Egyptian and League representatives will join Mennawi at an upcoming Darfur donor's conference July 18 in Brussels. Noting the League would organize its own Darfur donors conference in the near future, Egyptian presidential envoy for Darfur, Ambassador Haggag, requested USG assistance in urging wealthy Persian Gulf states to contribute to the effort. Haggag also envisioned a stronger U.S. role in disseminating information about the DPA to Darfurians in order to strengthen local commitment to its implementation. End summary. -------------- -- Egypt Welcomes Mennawi; Signals Support for DPA -------------- -- ¶2. (C) At the invitation of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Darfur rebel leader Mini "Arko" Mennawi arrived in Cairo on July 5 with a large delegation of his SLM colleagues. Mennawi intends to depart Egypt for Khartoum on July 11, and will then travel to Brussels for a Darfur donors conference, before heading to Washington, D.C. for a meeting with President Bush and other senior U.S. officials. On his first visit ever to Egypt, Mennawi was warmly welcomed by the GOE. He was met by the Egyptian foreign minister, senior members of the Egyptian intelligence service, and the Secretary General of the Arab League. The delegation also attended a July 6 reception hosted by the Egyptian Council of Foreign Affairs. The Egyptian government also facilitated wide press ;coverage for Mennawi, who spoke for three hours with the Ahram editorial board (resulting in a lengthy July 10 article),and met with local and pan-Arab journalists to describe the situation in Darfur. Poloff made contact with Mennawi July 10 and may arrange a meeting July 11 to discuss his delegation's travel plans to Washington. -------------- -------------- Aboul Gheit to Mennawi: GOE Committed to DPA Implementation -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Egyptian FM Aboul Gheit met with Mennawi on July 6 to discuss implementation of the DPA and efforts to bring other Darfur rebel factions into the peace camp. According to press reports, Aboul Gheit reiterated Egypt's strong commitment to the reconstruction and development of Darfur and southern Sudan. In expanded talks, the two also discussed recent political/security developments in Darfur, GOE assistance for Darfur (including Egypt's recent deployment of a medical team there),and Egypt's efforts to ensure positive results at an upcoming Brussels pledging conference. Both men agreed to continue engagement via diplomatic channels. According to MFA Sudan Affairs Office Director, Ambassador Massoum Marzouk, Mennawi displayed a "good grasp" of the complex regional political situation. Mennawi reportedly complained to Aboul Gheit about Khartoum's reluctance to share power, and Ndjamena's "persecution" of his SLM comrades inside Chad. Marzouk said Mennawi provided "credible information" on the supply of arms by Chad to members of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM),and offered himself as a mediator between the Governments of Sudan and Chad. Marzouk repeated GOE commitment to full DPA implentation and noted Egypt's intention to follow the African Union's lead in imposing travel sanctions on Darfur rebel groups that did not sign the DPA. -------------- -------------- AL SecGen Moussa Highlights Reconstruction Financing -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) As part of his campaign to garner full support for the DPA, Mennawi also met with AL Secretary General Amre Moussa July 5 in Cairo. Press reports stated that Mennawi discussed his ideas for stabilizing and developing Sudan. Signaling League support for that effort, Moussa stated publicly that he would organize a meeting of Arab organizations to finance Darfur reconstruction projects. ¶5. (C) Egyptian presidential envoy for Darfur, Ambassador Haggag, told poloff July 10 that the Arab League would host an Arab donors conference for Darfur "as soon as possible," CAIRO 00004258 002.2 OF 002 although no date had been selected. Haggag suggested USG pressure on "rich Gulf states" would be particularly useful to encourage them to participate in reconstruction efforts in Darfur. These states, he said, have many Sudanese residents in their country, but traditionally do not focus on developments in Sudan. Haggag also pointed to the need to "market" the DPA among Darfurians, many of whom he said were being manipulated by non-DPA signatory groups. The U.S., he added, could use its "radio station at an airbase in Chad" (NFI) to broadcast messages of support and explanation regarding the peace agreement. Without such an information campaign, Haggag opined, Darfur refugees along the Sudan-Chad border (expecially impressionable children) would continue to be recruited by rejectionist groups like the JEM and others. RICCIARDONE