UN ENVOY ELIASSON VISITS SUDAN

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000054

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL AU SU UN
SUBJECT: UN ENVOY ELIASSON VISITS SUDAN



1. (SBU) In his first trip to Sudan as the UN Secretary General's
(UNSYG) Special Envoy for Darfur, Jan Eliasson underscored the UN's
commitment to advancing the political process in Darfur. He called
for a visible reduction in violence between the Sudanese Government
and Darfur rebel groups, which would prove to be a
confidence-building measure for constructive political dialogue.
Eliasson said that such a reduction of violence would be a
demonstration of the parties' political will to further the peace
process, which he hoped would bear fruit prior to the one-year
anniversary of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) in May.


2. (SBU) During a January 11 press conference and a January 12
briefing for chiefs of mission, Eliasson characterized his
conversations with Sudanese officials -- including President Bashir,
Foreign Minister Lam Akol, Intelligence Chief Salah Gosh,
Presidential Advisor Mustafa Osman Ismail, Presidential Assistant
Nafie Ali Nafie, and Senior Assistant to the President Minni Minawi
-- as "fruitful, substantive, and positive." He noted that a
Ministry of Foreign Affairs' statement regarding his visit said the
November 16 Addis Ababa and November 30 Abuja agreements would form
the basis of the peace process in Darfur. The statement also
indicated the Sudanese Government's willingness to hold talks with
DPA non-signatories at any time. Eliasson said that Sudanese
officials had told him that military force would only be used in
self-defense.


3. (SBU) Eliasson emphasized that he would collaborate with African
Union (AU) Envoy Salim Ahmed Salim to advance the political process
in a joint AU-UN effort. "There has to be a peace to keep," said
Eliasson, "and it is a great step forward for the AU and UN to work
on the political process." He said that Sudanese officials and
rebel leaders' concurrence that there was no military solution to
the Darfur crisis could be the starting point for the political
process.


4. (SBU) At the chiefs of mission briefing, CDA Hume applauded the
UN and the AU's strong engagement, noting that an attempt to advance
the political process would require "a firm hand on the tiller." He
outlined a series of issues that continue to be the basis of
disagreement, including compensation, and said that Janjaweed
disarmament should be a priority. He called on Eliasson to effect
implementation of the DPA, rather than revisiting the agreement, and
highlighted the importance of institutional shifts, such as the
establishment of the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority.
Eliasson said that he would attempt to strike a "delicate balance"
to implement the DPA and to address legitimate grievances of the
non-signatories.


5. (SBU) Eliasson indicated that he would develop a plan for
engaging non-signatories in preparation for UNSYG Ban Ki-Moon's
attendance at the AU summit in Addis Ababa on January 29. He
expressed his hope that the proliferation of initiatives to engage
non-signatories could be rationalized.


6. (SBU) Comment: We need the UN to take the lead on advancing the
political process in Darfur. At present, the UN has no qualified
political officers in the field. While providing support when
possible -- both in Sudan and in New York -- the USG should
encourage the UN to increase its capacity to engage non-signatory
groups in an effort to hold a conference of rebel commanders in the
near future. Such a conference would lay the groundwork for broader
political dialogue in support of peace.

HUME