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


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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.

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Egypt Welcomes Mennawi; Signals Support for DPA
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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.

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Aboul Gheit to Mennawi: GOE Committed to DPA Implementation
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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.

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AL SecGen Moussa Highlights Reconstruction Financing
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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,"

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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