DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON AU MEMBERS AND UN TRANSITION

C O N F I D E N T I A L MASERU 000307 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR AF/S E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/29/2016 TAGS: PREL MARR KPKO PINS SOCI SU LT SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON AU MEMBERS AND UN TRANSITION REF: STATE 105710 CLASSIFIED BY: June Carter Perry, Ambassador, EXEC , STATE. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Per reftel, AMB met with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Ntsinyi (Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment/Deputy Secretary of the Ruling LCD Party) concerning the moment of truth for the African Union (AU). Ambassador reinforced the point that the African countries cannot let Bashir's rhetoric stop them from moving forward; this is a time for AU members to stand up and take the action necessary to end the genocide in Sudan. She also reminded the Acting Foreign Minister of the June 27agreement to address this issue and the possibility of sanctions. Furthermore, she shared the current numbers concerning new base camps (18) and troop levels (5,000 to 6,000),but also indicated that AMIS donors will continue to address this during the July 18 Bashir summit. ¶2. (C) The Acting Foreign Minister agreed strongly with our position stating the AU must be firmly against Bashir's arguments. She added that the Foreign Ministers will be discussing this very issue at the AU Conference in Banjul. She reiterated support for our position and UNSCR 1679. We discussed further the issue of genocide and Ambassador noted that the Acting Foreign Minister had served as Lesotho's envoy to Germany and was well aware of the genocide that took place there in the 1940's. We could not let such a thing happen to other people regardless of race or religion. She concurred completely and said that, especially after Rwanda, it was an international responsiblity to act quickly to stop the destruction of human lives in Darfur. ¶3. (C) Minister Ntsinyi wanted to make the point that Africans should not always expect donors to pull them out of difficult situations, that they must take on their responsibilities and demonstrate more self reliance. In this case, she agreed that it was absolutely necessary to act within the context of the international community and to have a Blue-Hatted force in Sudan. She cited a problem of financial security facing the Africans, the southern and eastern African countries seemed to be the only ones paying AU fees on a regular basis. She brought to the Ambassador's attention the fact that Lesotho has consistently sent peacekeeping forces to the AMIS mission in Darfur. The Ambassador encouraged Minister Ntsinyi to make sure Lesotho's voice was heard in the AU. The Minister responded that she was not sure how much influence Lesotho could have, but the Ambassador encouraged her to press forward especially as Lesotho will be taking on the SADC chairmanship. Certainly, there is more global attention to Lesotho than there has been in the past and its profile has heightened. Ambassador suggested that with greater leadership possibilities before it, now is the time for Lesotho to speak firmly and loudly on the heinous situation in Darfur and to support the international community's efforts. Ntsinyi said that, indeed, Lesotho would voice its opinion, that movement must take place right away and that AU members must not cave in to Bashir. She promised to communicate the U.S. position to Lesotho's representatives at the AU Conference. PERRY