NAZIF READOUT ON BASHIR AND DARFUR: COOL AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001207

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ELA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2017
TAGS: PREL UNSC KPKO EG SU
SUBJECT: NAZIF READOUT ON BASHIR AND DARFUR: COOL AND
UNRECEPTIVE

REF: A. CAIRO 1189


B. STATE 52648

C. STATE 51828

Classified By: Minister-Counselor for Economic and
Political Affairs William R. Stewart for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) Prime Minister Nazif on April 23 told the Ambassador
that his recent meeting with Sudanese President Bashir and
Vice President Ali Osman Taha in Khartoum had been "cool."
Bashir was "unreceptive" and "not interested in cooperating"
on the issues Nazif raised, including Darfur. Nazif said he
urged Bashir to cooperate with the UN and the African Union,
but Bashir was noncommittal. "The Sudanese always promise
but never deliver," Nazif lamented.


2. (C) The Ambassador told Nazif that we had earlier
delivered ref Sudan demarches to the Foreign Ministry.
Keying on President Bush's April 18 Holocaust Memorial
speech, the Ambassador summarized the demarches for Nazif,
stressing that it would be very helpful for President Mubarak
to state publicly what he privately told two recent CODELS,
i.e., that Egypt was prepared to send additional forces to
the UN and/or AMIS for peacekeeping operations once a Darfur
Peace Agreement was signed by all parties. While the U.S.
would prefer Mubarak's unqualified support for PKO in Darfur,
the Ambassador said, we would still welcome his public
re-statement of what he had repeatedly told us privately.


3. (C) The Ambassador told Nazif that we had been working
with the Ministry of Defense on the GoE agreement to sell
thirty-six APC's to the UN to help with peacekeeping in
Darfur. It was unclear what the status of the sale was.
Nazif said he was unfamiliar with the offer, but said he
would check to see where it stood.
JONES