PRESIDENT DECLARES U.S. DIPLOMATS RESTRICTED TO 25

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 002347

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SPECIAL ENVOY NATSIOS, AF/SPG, AND CA/VO/L/C

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2011
TAGS: PREL CVIS US SU
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT DECLARES U.S. DIPLOMATS RESTRICTED TO 25
KM RADIUS OF CAPITAL

Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES CAMERON HUME; REASON: 1.4(B) AND (D)


1. (SBU) U.S. diplomats in Sudan will be restricted to a 25
km radius of the Presidential Palace, President Omar Hassan
al-Bashir declared during a September 24 press conference in
Khartoum. According to the state-owned Sudan News Agency
(SUNA),Bashir said any American official visiting Sudan
would have his passport stamped and his movement restricted
to 25 kilometers of the capital. One Khartoum mobile phone
provider reportedly sent out text messages late on September
24 announcing the new rules. The restrictions come as
retaliation for annotations placed in visas issued to Bashir
and his delegation to UNGA on September 17, limiting their
movements to a 25 mile radius of Columbus Circle in New York.
The new rules would not be lifted until relations between
Sudan and the United States improved, Bashir vowed.


2. (SBU) DCM and Pol/Econ Chief discussed the President's
announcement with counterparts in the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Americas Department on September 25. MFA officials
were clearly caught off guard by Bashir's declaration, and
indicated they would have to consult before announcing the
precise restrictions. MFA Americas Director Sanousi told DCM
that Sudanese consular posts would be instructed that USG
officials visiting Sudan would have their visas limited to a
25 km radius of Khartoum, though he added that this
restriction should not affect U.S. diplomats resident in the
country. The MFA would provide the Embassy officially with
more information shortly, though Sanousi did not elaborate.


3. (SBU) Post plans to send a diplomatic note to the MFA as
soon as possible explaining the Department's mistake
restricting Bashir's visa to UNGA, as relayed to USINT
Havana. (Note: The Department's current reciprocity
schedule for Sudan does not include a 25 km restriction for
diplomatic or official travellers, though earlier versions
did. Embassy Khartoum has not included this restriction on
visas issued to Sudanese diplomats here in recent memory,
though other posts sometimes do.) Post will also encourage
Sudanese officials to apply in Khartoum whenever possible,
and to allow least three weeks to process SAOs.


4. (C) In a separate meeting, Minister for Cabinet Affairs
Deng Alor told CDA Hume that Bashir had brought the travel
restriction issue up twice at a recent Council of Ministers
meeting, and was clearly upset. Hume responded that U.S.
diplomats in Khartoum already needed MFA permits to travel to
many locations outside Khartoum, including Darfur--much to
Alor's surprise--but this extra limitation would not be
helpful. It might, for example, affect the impending visit
of AF/SPG Director Landis, or even travel by Special Envoy
Natsios. Alor agreed, noting that the restrictions were not
helpful for "what we need to do;" Alor and other SPLM
officials planned to meet privately with Bashir on September
26, and would bring the issue up with him then. Hume
promised to pass Alor a copy of the diplomatic note
explaining the incident as soon as possible. In a late phone
call to the DCM, Sanousi requested written confirmation that
current USG policy does not restrict Sudanese diplomatic
travel in the United States, and that the annotations had
been made in error. An official communication might help
settle the issue, Sanousi suggested.
HUME