SUDANESE RESPONSE ON PEACE-KEEPING PACKAGE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 002904 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, AF/SE NATSIOS, IO, AF/SPG, AND AF/RSA E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/25/2016 TAGS: PREL KPKO PREF PHUM AU UN SU SUBJECT: SUDANESE RESPONSE ON PEACE-KEEPING PACKAGE Classified By: CDA Cameron Hume, Reason: Section 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On December 26, UN Deputy Special Representative Manuel Da Silva called CDA Hume to inform him of the Sudanese response on UN support for peace-keeping. Da Silva characterized the response several times as &positive.8 At Hume,s urging, he will convene a meeting of P-5 ambassadors on December 27 to share a copy of the Sudanese letter and to provide a briefing. ¶2. (C) Regarding the phase one &light package8, Da Silva said the letter seemed to give a green light for UN deployment. Of the 105 personnel to be included in the package, 9 were already in El Fasher, and another 73 were in Khartoum ready to be deployed. The UN plans to send most of these to El Fasher during this week. Da Silva said that the Sudanese government understood that the military members of the UN staff would deploy with blue helmets or berets. Regarding the phase two &heavy package,8 he said that the Sudanese response was more positive than he had anticipated. ¶3. (C) The Sudanese position regarding the phase three &hybrid operation8 was less clear. Da Silva noted that both the U.S. and the UN had pressed the Sudanese for an immediate response on phases one and two, understanding that consultations had not progressed so far on phase three. Hume said that in the public statements made by Sudanese officials regarding the package, they had insisted that the size of the force be determined based on a recommendation of the AU force commander. Given the fact that current force commander Aprezi appeared to be in the pocket of the Sudanese government, that position could represent an upcoming problem. Da Silva said that the UN position remained that the size and composition of the hybrid operation was to be determined based on a technical assessment, starting with the position included in the Secretary General,s report of July ¶28. HUME