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. -------------- Iranian Support -------------- ¶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. -------------- Qatari Support -------------- ¶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. -------------- Engangement No Longer Beneficial -------------- ¶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. -------------- Suleiman Jamous -------------- ¶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