SUDAN/DARFUR: SPLM REJECTS BASHIR'S POSITION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001559

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KPKO SOCI PINR PREL AU UN SU
SUBJECT: SUDAN/DARFUR: SPLM REJECTS BASHIR'S POSITION
ON UN PKO, REVEALING CLEAR NCP-SPLM SPLIT ON KEY ISSUE

Ref: Khartoum 1540


1. (SBU) Summary: First VP Salva Kiir and other key
leaders of the SPLM have publicly announced that they
have no objection to UN peacekeeping in Darfur. They add
that they were not consulted by the NCP with regard to
President Bashir's enunciation of a strong rejection of a
transition to the UN. This marks the first time that the
SPLM has publicly taken on the NCP on a critical national
security issue. Given early reports of Bashir's
continued "nyet" in Banjul, however, it is not clear what
impact, if any, the SPLM's voice will have on this
matter. Meanwhile, NCP heavyweights here continue the
drumbeat against the UN with inflammatory, almost
apocalyptic, rhetoric, and press commentary frets over
the public split in the GNU. End Summary.

Kiir takes on Bashir
--------------

2. (U) During the inauguration of UN radio in Juba on
June 30 (septel),First VP Salva Kiir said that the SLPM
"does not have any problem with the coming of the UN to
Darfur. We accepted deployment of a UN peacekeeping
mission and we do not see any differences between the UN
forces in the South their presence in western Sudan. If
there is anything the NCP is afraid of in Darfur this is
their problem."


3. (U) SPLM spokesman Yassir Arman also spoke to the
issue in a June 30 press conference, noting pointedly
that the SPLM was not consulted by the NCP in formulating
the government's position. "Our position is that the
SPLM wants dialogue between Sudan the international
community." He denied that the GNU discussed the issue
of deployment of UN forces. He also said that the SPLM
would not now concur to the idea of sending Joint
Integrated Units (SAF and SPLA) into Darfur, an idea
raised two years ago by John Garang, and recently revived
by the NCP. He said that this was also not discussed
between the two parties, and that this idea now "comes
too late."

Defending Deng Alor
--------------

4. (U) These comments with regard to UN PKO come in the
wake of GNU (SPLM) Minister Deng Alor's statement last
week distancing the SPLM from Bashir's decision, comments
that were then slammed by NCP Nafie ali Nafie (reftel).
Arman criticized Nafie's dressing down of Deng Alor,
saying the SPLM would not tolerate intimidation of its
ministers. "Our ministers must be treated with respect.
The remark made against Deng Alor is not acceptable; it
hurt us and we will not tolerate such intimidations.
Our ministers are not students of anybody else's school
of politics. SPLM was built on its own ideology and will
make decisions and act according to its own good
judgment; so any harassment of our ministers cannot be
tolerated."

NCP continues to defend Bashir's position: Martyrdom
-------------- --------------


5. (U) Meanwhile, as this NCP-SPLM disagreement
continues to play itself out, NCP hardliners -- the
Defense and Interior Ministers, and Intel Head Salah Gosh
-- stress the importance of supporting Bashir and the GNU
(sic) stance of rejecting deployment of international
forces in Darfur. They also called for the unification
of the internal front. The Defense minister confirmed
the readiness of the armed forces to stand with the
President in the same ditch to defend the homeland
(referring to Bashir's comment last week that he would
lead the resistance in Darfur). Salah Gosh is reported
to have received death pledges at a rally last week from
a large number of participants who held photos of Bashir
on which were written: "I solemnly promise not to
return, and only to the Creator shall I kneel."

The Press joins the Fray: Fears of the "New Sudan"
-------------- --------------

6. (U) As reflected in a spate of editorials over the
past week, there is considerable public alarm that the
inter-party dispute might spiral out of control, perhaps
really inflicting damage on the National Unity
Government. "Where is this Government Taking Us?" (Al-
Adwaa, June 29),for instance, deplores the evident lack
of consultation between the coalition partners, while "Be
Quiet, Nightingale" (Al-Sudani, July 2),raises the
specter of a Somali-style state collapse. The pro-
Southern press has sharpened its rhetoric against the

KHARTOUM 00001559 002 OF 002


NCP. An editorialin the English-language daily The
Citizen ("Who is Irresponsible?" July 2) criticizes the
NCP stance on international intervention (and its attack
on the SPLM) as another in a series of "irresponsible"
decisions of the Northern right-wing going back to the
1950s. For the Khartoum Monitor, the NCP is trying to
highjack the entire government on the peacekeeping issue,
despite Kiir's explicit disavowal of this stance ("Al
Basher's Unilateralism Exposed," July 2)


7. (U) On the right, there are fears that the split could
make Sudan even more vulnerable to "foreign intervention"
("Between the Hammer and the Anvil," Al-Sahafa, June 29).
Al-Tayib Mustafa, uncle of Bashir and prominent leader in
the Northern separatist camp, writes that the SPLM stance
is part and parcel of a "New Sudan" package hostile the
North ("Hot Air," Al-Intibaha, June 29).

"The formation of a New Sudan is supported and created by
the U.S. to reconfigure the Sudan in such a way as to put
an end to its Arab and Islamic identity. This is also in
line with plans for redesigning the region to further
American strategies, including enhanced security for
Israel by threatening Egypt's national security -- which
depends largely on the Nile. In addition, there are
hidden schemes for controlling the resources of Sudan, in
a manner similar to that of Iraq.

We have the right to ask, will the SPLM army support the
international forces if they arrive in Khartoum to
implement the resolutions of the international community
(otherwise known as the U.S.)?"

HUME