CHAD: RUPTURE WITH SUDAN, THREAT ON REFUGEES, OIL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000541 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF, AF/C, INR, DRL, DS/IP/AF, DS/IP/ITA; LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICAWATCHERS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREF CD SU SUBJECT: CHAD: RUPTURE WITH SUDAN, THREAT ON REFUGEES, OIL PRODUCTION STOPPAGE Following is Embassy translation of communique of April 15, delivered by the Prime Minister Pascal Yoadimnadji to ambassadors and representatives of international organizations in Ndjamena: Quote: The Extraordinary Council of Ministers of April 14, 2006, took important decisions on numerous challenges that our country now faces. We wanted to meet you, as special partners with Chad, to inform you of the decisions taken by the Government of the Republic of Chad and solicit the support of your respective countries and organizations. Living among us in this country, you have witnessed the repeated aggressions of the Republic of Sudan against our country and the difficulties our country has had with the World Bank, following the revision of Law No. 001 on the management of oil revenues. On the first point -- the repeated aggressions of the Republic of Sudan against the Republic of Chad -- you have just been eye witnesses to the attacks by Sudanese mercenaries against our cities and military garrisons. The attack on the city of Ndjamena under your very eyes in the early hours of the morning of April 13 constitutes the ultimate affront. Our armed forces and security forces defeated the attackers and checked the destabilization plan programed for Chad by Sudan. You are also witnesses of the burden of Sudanese refugees which Chad supports and all the sacrifices made by Chad to help to resolve the Darfur conflict and thus relieve the sufferings of Sudanese refugees. Despite this, the Government of the Republic of Sudan has since 2004 planned the destabilization of Chad. Chad has regularly alerted international opinion to the machiavellian plan by the Government of Khartoum. We regret to state that the International Community closes its eyes to the inimical behavior of the Government of Khartoum: it hesitates even until today to condemn unequivocally and to impose sanctions against Sudan. Faced with this situation, the Government of the Republic of Chad sees itself as obliged to take the decision to break its diplomatic and economic relations with Sudan and to recall the Chadian facilitators in the inter-Sudanese negotiations at Abuja where Chad has offered its co-mediation. We wish to note however that the presence of Chadian elements within the forces of the African Union Mission in Darfur is not put in question. Concerning the Sudanese refugees, numbering 300,000, we note equally with regret that despite our numerous appeals to the International Community to deploy United Nations forces in Darfur in order better to bring security to them and to our frontiers with Sudan, very little has been done. Thus, on April 9 at 17:00, local time, a camp of Sudanese refugees located in the district of Goz Amir, (in the region) of Goz Beida, hosting 17,000 persons and guarded by a dozen Chadian gendarmes, was attacked. The assailants also attacked the staff and office of HCR where they made off with their means of communication before retreating to Darfur, after having killed two gendarmes and caused important damage. The massive presence of Sudanese refugees has enormous consequences for Chad. This presence causes significant human, environmental, and economic damage to our country. The Chadian Government notes over time that the refugees are better treated than the Chadian host populations who were the first to share with the refugees the few means that they have. Chad cannot tolerate for long this policy of double standard. Therefore, we appeal solemnly to the International Community to make a great commitment to the conflict of Darfur, if not to find a definitive political exit, at least to deploy a United Nations force to permit the Sudanese refugees to go back to their homeland. The Chadian Government gives the International Community until the end of June 2006 to find a solution, in the absence of which we invite the same International Community to find NDJAMENA 00000541 002 OF 002 other countries to welcome them. It is an issue of survival for Chad and the Chadian people. Chad cannot agree to be recompensed with false promises for the sacrifices made by its population in welcoming the Sudanese refugees, despite its involvement from the first hours of the conflict in Darfur in aiding the Sudanese Government and rebels to find a political solution. In the second place, concerning the difficulties that Chad has had with the World Bank concerning the revision of Law No. 001 on the management of oil revenues, the Chadian Government invites the World Bank and the petroleum Consortium (Esso, Petronas, and Chevron) to pay over without delay the share of oil revenues owed to Chad. They have until Tuesday April 18 at 12:00 to accomplish this, failing which the Government will see itself obliged to stop the production of oil in Doba. If you are not aware, we wish to bring to your attention that of the 28 (twenty eight) participants in the Chadian exportation project, of which 7 (seven) direct and 21 (tewnty one) indirect, all the other participants receive their share of oil revenues except for Chad, whose revenues will soon have been blocked for six (6) months at the City Bank of London and by the Consortium. You will agree with us that this is a particularly laughable situation. The oil is Chadian. Its exploitation must first of all profit the Chadian people. In the opposite case, it is better to stop its exploitation and commercialization until an acceptable compromise is reached for all the participants. In all sovereignty, the Chadian people, through their national representation, proceeded with the revision of Law No. 001 on management of oil revenues. It is their absolute right. So why all the commotion on this subject? The law on management of oil revenues was voted by the Chadian National Assembly and promulgated by the President of the Republic of Chad, as is the rule in every State of law. Chadians are not guinea pigs for experimenting with certain vague theories which have not produced results anywhere in the world. The Chadian people have lived without oil and will live tomorrow without oil, which is an essential, exhaustible resource. To conclude, we wish to inform you that the schedule for the presidential election with be maintained. The voting in the presidential election of May 3 will definitely take place on that date, however much it might displease the Sudanese Government and its mercenaries. We invite all the candidates for the presidential election to continue to carry on their campaign. All arrangements have been made for assuring the serenity and tranquility of the voting in the presidential election. Democracy has its requirements. Constitutional mandates must be respected in order to assure the regular functioning of the institutions that are solidly founded, despite the desperate maneuvers of the enemies of Chad. We invite those of our partners to whom invitations were addressed to observe the presidential election to make the necessary arrangements so that international observers will join their Chadian colleagues to guarantee the transparency of this important event. We thank you in advance. Such were the great decisions taken by the Extraordinary Council of Ministers Friday 14 April 2006 which we wanted to bring to your attention. WALL