JORDANIAN PERMREP ISSUES PRESS RELEASE ON DARFUR

C O N F I D E N T I A L GENEVA 003143 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR IO/RHS, DRL/MLGA, L/HRR, NEA E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2016 TAGS: PHUM UNHRC JO SUBJECT: JORDANIAN PERMREP ISSUES PRESS RELEASE ON DARFUR REMARKS REF: A) AMMAN 08854 B) STATE 195763 Classified By: PolCouns Velia De Pirro for reasons E.O. 12958, 1.4 (b)( d) ¶1. (U) The Jordanian Mission in Geneva December 15 issued a press release (para 2),which has been posted on the Human Rights Council's extranet page, stating that remarks made by Jordanian PermRep Mousa Burayzat November 28 regarding Darfur during second HRC session were "his personal impressions." In his intervention, Burayzat blamed the media for distorting the facts on Darfur, which he found "quite different" after taking part in a Sudanese-government-sponsored visit to the region. He said proposed EU amendments to an African Group draft resolution had a political dimension, repeating this charge several times. The press release goes on to say that Burayzat's statement in no way represented a denial of the grave situation in Darfur. ¶2. (U) Begin text press release: On the general remarks made by the Permanent Representative of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Dr. Mousa Burayzat on the EU Amendment to decision L.44 entitled 'Darfur' submitted by the African Group On 28 November 2006, and making general remarks on draft resolutions on the situation in Darfur, during the resumed second session of Human Rights Council in Geneva, Jordan's Permanent Representative made a statement containing his personal impressions on a recent visit he made to Darfur together with several permanent representatives. The Permanent Mission wishes to underline that the statement should not interpret any denial of the seriousness of the situation in Darfur and the need for enhanced cooperation between all parties to resolve this issue. Furthermore, this statement doesn't reflect any change in the official Jordanian position regarding this issue. In this regard, the Permanent Mission of Jordan commends the efforts of the African Union and the humanitarian assistance rendered by the United Nations and the international community, and hopes that a common understanding will be reached between the Sudanese Government and the international community to deal with all aspects of the situation. End Text. ¶3. (C) Comment: Such a public clarification is clearly the result of the demarche reported in ref A. Approaches by Geneva-based ambassadors to Burayzat had only elicited quick dismissals that they did not truly understand the situation in Darfur. TICHENOR