Press Summary March 27 - April 3

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000822 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPAO OIIP PGOV PINR PHUM ECON MOPS SU, CH, ER SUBJECT: Press Summary March 27 - April 3 REF: Khartoum 547 ¶1. SUMMARY: This cable covers miscellaneous items that have appeared in the press over the past week but are not covered elsewhere. This includes renewed violence at the University of Juba over the student union issue (reftel), the forming of a new POLITICAL party by southern NCP member-- and former Vice President-- George Kongor Arop, the visit of the Sudanese Defense Minister to China, and the move towards normalization of RELATIONS between Eritrea and Sudan. On Darfur, President Bashir gave an interview to an Egyptian paper reiterating his hard stand against the UN, while the major opposition parties are planning a series of demonstrations to encourage a quick resolution to the crisis. END SUMMARY. -------------- More Violence at the University of Juba -------------- ¶2. There was fresh unrest at the University of Juba after police in riot gear violently broke up another student demonstration at the university's main Kadaro campus outside of Khartoum on March 30. The students were repeating their previous request to form a student union. Police arrested 26 students, all of whom were released the next day following the intervention of the SPLM's Yassir Arman and Ghazi Suleiman. "The Citizen" also reported, falsely, that one student was killed when police opened fire on the crowd. The University had been closed from February 11 to March 25 after earlier riots there (reftel). -------------- Kongor Forms New Party -------------- ¶3. Former Vice President of Sudan and prominent southerner in the National Congress Party (NCP) George Kongor Arop announced that he is leaving the NCP to form his own POLITICAL party, the African National Congress Party (ANCP). In a press conference, Kongor cited internal conflict in the NCP between reformers and hardliners, and the NCP's failure to resolve the Darfur crisis as reasons for his exit. Kongor explained that his party would be dedicated to supporting CPA implementation and finding solutions to conflicts in Darfur and the East. While Kongor did not say he would join forces with Presidential Advisor Bona Malwal, he did indicate support for Malwal several times during the press conference. -------------- Sudanese Defense Minister Visits China -------------- ;¶4. Defense Minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein is in Beijing at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Cao Gangchuan. The Sudanese press reports that Hussein is looking to solidify and expand the already strong military cooperation with China. He also repeated Sudan's support for the one-China policy and thanked the Chinese government for its stance on Darfur. According to press reports, Sudan's air force recently spent USD 100 million on Shenyang planes, including 12 F-7 jets and 34 other fighter-bombers. This is in addition to the 12 MiG fighters Sudan took delivery of in July 2004. -------------- Sudan and Eritrea to Exchange Ambassadors -------------- ¶5. Following the first meeting of the Sudanese-Eritrean Joint Committee (SEJC),the two governments announced on April 1 that they would raise their diplomatic representation to the ambassadorial level. Sudan's SUNA news also reports that arrangements are being made for a presidential summit in either Khartoum or Asmara. The SEJC was recently established to normalize the strained relations between the two countries, to negotiate the official reopening of the border, closed since 2002, and to encourage other commercial links. -------------- -------------- Bashir Distributes Blame, Refuses Intervention in Darfur -------------- -------------- ¶6. In an interview with the state-owned Egyptian paper Al-Ahram al-Arabi, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir KHARTOUM 00000822 002 OF 002 again said that the crisis in Darfur was a result of a local tribal dispute inflamed by an international community intent on disrupting Sudan. He lamented the lack of a peace deal in Abuja, but said that it was entirely the fault of the rebels. Bashir reaffirmed that he would not accept international forces in Darfur, explaining that the UN has proven to be ineffective when it intervenes in Africa. He then cited the mass exterminations in Rwanda and Srebrenica, which he said took place "under the sight and hearing" of UN forces. According to Bashir, only "weapons dealers" and "enemies of peace" are demanding the transition to UN forces. -------------- Opposition Parties Plan Darfur Demonstrations -------------- ¶7. A series of joint demonstrations on Darfur are planned next week by the three major POLITICAL parties that remain outside the government -- Sadiq al-Mahdi's Umma Party, Hassan al-Turabi's Popular Congress Party, and the Communist Party (which has accepted seats in the National Assembly but refused to join the executive branch). According to an Umma party spokesperson, the goal of the rallies will be to encourage a quick resolution to the Darfur conflict. All three party leaders plan to speak: al-Mahdi, Turabi, and Communist Party Secretary General Mohamed Ibrahim Nugud. They will then present a joint memo to both the government and the African Union concerning the crisis. STEINFELD