SUDAN: MFA ON BIN LADEN STATEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 001012 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2016 TAGS: PREL PTER SU SUBJECT: SUDAN: MFA ON BIN LADEN STATEMENT REF: STATE 65383 Classified By: P/E Chief E. Whitaker, Reason: Section 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On April 27, Charge raised reftel points on the recent bin Laden statement on Sudan with MFA Americas Director Osman Dirdieri. Charge stressed that, while we appreciated that the MFA had distanced itself from this statement, bin Laden's remarks were regrettably similar to those made earlier by GNU officials. Dirdieri said it was "unfair to link" bin Laden's statements with comments made by senior government officials. Bin Laden, he said, is free to say what he wants to say, but does so independently. Sudan has cooperated with the U.S. on counter-terrorism, but is afraid that Darfur might become a "field for al Qaida." Al Qaida is looking for anarchy; increasing instability in Darfur does render it susceptible to al Qaida operations. ¶2. (C) Dirdieri rejected bin Laden's criticism of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Bin Laden's statements are rejected by the government, particularly those criticizing the Sudanese commitment to Islam. The best approach would be to ignore bin Laden's statements. ¶3. (C) The Charge said that the anticipated Darfur peace agreement would mean that all parties would have to work together to reduce violence on the ground. Inflammatory rhetoric with regard to peacekeepers, such as used by the government several weeks back, should not be repeated. STEINFELD