SEEKING PUBLIC COMMITMENTS OF PERSONNEL FOR DARFUR

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAKAR 000862 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR IO/PSC, AF/RSA, AF/SPG AND AF/W E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/19/2012 TAGS: PREL UNSC KPKO SU SG SUBJECT: SEEKING PUBLIC COMMITMENTS OF PERSONNEL FOR DARFUR MISSION REF: STATE 051828 (NOTAL) Classified By: CDA Robert P. Jackson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) With President Abdoulaye Wade in Nouakchott for the presidential inauguration and Senior Minister for Foreign Affairs Cheikh Tidiane Gadio out of the country, Charge made reftel demarche to Ambassador Mankeur Ndiaye, the Director of Cabinet at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ndiaye reported that Wade planned to raise Darfur during his April 19 meeting with the Deputy Secretary. Ndiaye also asked for the text of President Bush,s April 18 speech at the Holocaust Memorial Museum, which, according to a press interview, the President had previewed with Wade. Charge not only gave Ndiaye the speech but also the White House,s &Stop the Genocide in Darfur8 Fact Sheet and information about the Deputy Secretary's meetings in Khartoum. SIPDIS ¶2. (C) COMMENT: Senegalese are still angry about the April 1 murder of five of their peacekeepers in Darfur. Nonetheless, we expect that with adequate protection and logistical support, Senegal will keep its peacekeepers in Darfur and will send the additional 300 peacekeepers that it originally offered to deploy months ago, bringing its presence to approximately 850 peacekeepers, including gendarmes in the role of civilian police. END COMMENT. JACKSON