SUDAN HAS NOT BEEN APPROACHED BY GUATEMALA ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 002490 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2016 TAGS: UNSC GT VE SU SUBJECT: SUDAN HAS NOT BEEN APPROACHED BY GUATEMALA ON UNSCR BID REF: A. SECSTATE 162359 ¶B. AMADEO EMAIL 06 OCTOBER Classified By: Acting P/E Chief Michael Honigstein, Reason: Section 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) Charge d'Affairs Cameron Hume delivered the demarche on Guatemala's candidacy for the UNSC (refs A and B) to State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Ahmed Karti on October 10. Karti responded that no one from Guatemala had approached Sudan regarding Security Council membership. Hume explained that a representative from Guatemala did come to Khartoum during the African Union Summit in March, but was called away before he had any meetings because of the Guatemalan UN Peacekeepers that were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: Given Sudan's relationship with Venezuela and their current posture towards the United States at the UN, it is unlikely that they would vote for Guatemala. However, at a minimum, the Guatemalan Mission to the UN should approach the Sudanese Mission if they want to sway their vote. END COMMENT. HUME