SUDAN, ACCEPTING ISOLATION, TURNS TO IRAN, QATAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 000406

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/SPG
NSC FOR PITTMAN AND SHORTLEY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/2012
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR UN SU EG IR CD QA
SUBJECT: SUDAN, ACCEPTING ISOLATION, TURNS TO IRAN, QATAR

REF: 06 KHARTOUM 02874

Classified By: P/E Chief T. Monroe, Reason: Sections 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Egypt's influence on Sudan's leadership and its
ability to persuade the government to engage in constructive
dialogue with the international community has waned, Egyptian
diplomat Hani Khedr (please protect) told Poloff on March 15.
Sudan has accepted its growing isolation from the West, most
Arab governments, and its African neighbors and has turned
instead to Iran and Qatar: Iran for its military and
political support, Qatar for its financial assistance.
Believing that threats of punitive measures to effect a
change in Sudan's Darfur policy are hollow, Khedr said that
Sudan was now "negotiating with the international community
just to negotiate" while seeking a political settlement in
Darfur that would negate the need for a UN peace-keeping
operation.

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Iranian Support
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2. (C) Based on his discussions with contacts in the National
Congress Party (NCP),Khedr claimed that Sudan is forging a
stronger partnership with Iran, which Khartoum views as a
fellow victim of international condemnation. The recent
summit between Presidents Bashir and Ahmadinejad focused on:
1) Military cooperation, including the shipment of weapons
and armored vehicles to Sudan for use in Darfur, 2) Cessation
of Iranian attempts -- through its intelligence services --
to support pro-Shia' movements in Sudan, and 3) Iranian
assistance in defusing bilateral tensions with Chad, which
resulted in the Chadian Minister of Defense's announcement
two days after Ahmadinejad's later visit to N'djamena that
his government would no longer harbor rebel groups in Chad.

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Qatari Support
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3. (C) Khedr confirmed other reports that the recent trip by
Sudanese officials, including President Bashir, to Qatar was
a "fundraising" exercise. He said that Sudan had
long-standing financial ties to Doha and that it preferred
this assistance to that of Western donors because Qatar did
not require transparency or accountability for the use of the
funds.

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Engangement No Longer Beneficial
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4. (C) Khedr explained that Sudan's turn to Iran and lack of
interest in substantive negotiation with the international
community was based on Khartoum's calculation that engagement
with the West would no longer yield benefits to its national
interest. According to Khedr, Egypt fears the repercussions
of a confrontation between Sudan and the West over Darfur,
and he referred several times to reports that the UK was
considering sanctions measures in the UN Security Council.
He said that the Egytian Prime Minister would underscore the
importance of diplomatic engagement in his meetings with
Sudanese officials scheduled for April, though he was not
optimistic that these would lead to a change in Sudanese
policy.

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Suleiman Jamous
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5. (C) Responding to Poloff's query about Egypt's views on
former Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) humanitarian
coordinator Suleiman Jamous (reftel),Khedr said that Egypt
had been trying to gain Sudan's consent for Jamous to be
released from the Egyptian-run UN field hospital in South
Kordofan. According to Khedr, Jamous was a burden to the
hospital staff as he had set up a virtual rebel command
center from his hospital room and was directing rebel
factions in Darfur. Sudanese officials, however, insisted
that Jamous would be imprisoned should he leave the hospital,
claiming that he was a dangerous rebel leader allied with
Hassan Al Turabi. Khedr admitted that his government was
opposed to granting Jamous asylum in Egypt because of his
ties to Al Turabi, who Egypt blamQ for orchestrating a 1995
assassination attempt on President Mubarak.
POWERS