MFA ON DELAYED NEC CONTAINERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 002893

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR OBO - GENERAL WILLIAMS FROM CHARGE HUME

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2016
TAGS: PREL OFDP ABLD AMGT ASEC US SU
SUBJECT: MFA ON DELAYED NEC CONTAINERS

REF: KHARTOUM 02794

Classified By: P/E Chief E. Whitaker, Reason: Section 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) During a December 21 meeting with State Minister for
Foreign Affairs Ahmed Ali Karti, Charge Hume raised Sudan's
non-compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic
Relations with respect to containers still detained at Port
Sudan. Noting the containers had so far been held for
approximately 75 days, he said that Washington would soon
draw conclusions as to the viability of the New Embassy
Compound (NEC) project. A series of letters and appointments
simply had not advanced the issue; the Sudanese Government
had for two years supported the project as evidence of the
significance of the bilateral relationship. He asked whether
the Sudanese government's view had changed, as reflected by
the current lack of cooperation.


2. (C) Karti claimed (wrongly) that he had only learned of
the issue five days earlier. He said the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs had written to the Ministry of Finance to try to
unblock the containers; the Minister of Finance, he said, had
been at the National Assembly in budget hearings for the past
week, and had not had time to respond. In any event, he
added, the MFA could provide an update on the issue within
two to three days.


3. (C) Charge Hume said there was a clock attached to the NEC
project; the Sudanese government had assured it wished to see
the project go forward and thus there should be no further
delays. Like Darfur, he added, the USG needs to see things
happen, not merely paper moving around.
HUME