KHARTOUM CDA PRESENTS CASE ON AU CHAIRMANSHIP

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 000105 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, AF S/E NATSIOS, AND OBO FOR GENERAL WILLIAMS NSC FOR PITTMAN AND SHORTLEY E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER AU SU SUBJECT: KHARTOUM CDA PRESENTS CASE ON AU CHAIRMANSHIP REF: SECSTATE 08619 Classified By: CDA Cameron Hume, Reason: Sections 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On January 24 CDA Hume met Presidential Adviser Mustafa Ismail in the airport's VIP departure lounge to ask that President Bashir not submit his candidacy for AU Chairman. Hume explained that, with AU troops still in Darfur, a Bashir candidacy would present questions of a conflict of interest and that strong opposition among AU members to a Bashir candidacy was likely. ¶2. (C) Ismail agreed. He thought Bashir should not be a candidate: Sudan would gain nothing from a difficult election campaign; Bashir could be embarrassed by likely snubs as AU Chairman (such as no invitation from the G-8); and, the government of Sudan was busy working on other issues. Ismail appreciated that the Department of State's spokesman had made a neutral statement on the issue, noting that the AU chairmanship was a decision for AU members. He urged that the USG not undertake an extensive lobbying effort, which Bashir might see as a challenge. Ismail said that he and Presidential Adviser Mansour Khalid would meet with Bashir in two days, after Ismail's return from Libya, to discuss this issue. ¶3. (C) On the same subject Ismail asked for USG views on alternatives to a Bashir chairmanship. One possibility was a one-year extension of the term of the current chairman, President Sassou Nguesso. Another was to elect a chairman from East Africa. Ismail said Sudan would be most comfortable with Ethiopian President Meles-Zenawi, with whom Sudan had good relations. ¶4. (C) Ismail (who now heads Sudan's Civil Aviation Authority) raised the issue of the hijacking of an AirWest civilian flight in Darfur and asked that the USG condemn this hijacking as an act of terrorism (see Khartoum 104 on this issue). In response to Ismail's question about prospects for talks with Darfur rebels, Hume said that latest USG contacts, including those by S.E. Natsios, revealed a drift by commanders toward the rejectionist position of the Justice and Equality Movement's (JEM) Khalil Ibrahim. Perhaps the main reason for this worrying trend was the influence JEM derived from the money and supplies provided to it by Libya and Chad. Hume suggested that Ismail raise this subject with his Libyan hosts. ¶5. (C) Ismail agreed but said that the Libyan government was far more responsive to the USG on such issues and asked that the USG send a simple message to Libyan security authorities to reduce sharply their support for Darfurian rebels. Hume said he would pass this request to Washington. ¶6. (C) At conclusion of meeting Hume referred to Ismail's crucial role in restarting the U.S./Sudan bilateral relationship several years ago and informed him that because of difficulty in clearing containers of building supplies through customs, the USG was preparing to terminate construction of a new embassy. Hume admitted that the consequences of such a decision could be significant at both the political and operational levels. Ismail said he would try to fix this problem when he meets with Bashir in two days. ¶7. (C) Action request: Post would appreciate guidance on alternatives as AU chairman and requests that USG inform Libyan authorities of our concerns regarding Libya's support for Darfur rejectionists. HUME