DARFUR DONORS CONCERNED ON HAAVISTO APPOINTMENT,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000859 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, AF/SE NATSIOS, AND AF/SPG NSC FOR PITTMAN AND SHORTLEY ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2012 TAGS: PREL PGOV AU UN SU ER CH SUBJECT: DARFUR DONORS CONCERNED ON HAAVISTO APPOINTMENT, WANT COORDINATION WITH PRC REF: KHARTOUM 00849 KHARTOUM 00000859 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: CDA R. Powers, Reason: Sections 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Meeting on May 30, the core group of Western donors in Khartoum expressed reservations over the appointment of former EU Special Envoy for Sudan Pekka Haavisto as UN Envoy Jan Eliasson's new representative for the Darfur political process. While Haavisto's terms of reference had not yet been finalized--including his relationship with the African Union--he arrived in Khartoum on May 31. The US, UK, EU, Netherlands, France, Germany, and Norway voiced their concern that Haavisto would not be resident in Sudan and would therefore be unable to fulfill the role of a Sudan-based UN/AU joint mediator, which many deemed an important component of advancing the political process for Darfur. Several donors also stated that Haavisto did not have sufficient credibility with either the Sudanese Government or the Darfur rebel movements to make the necessary contribution to the peace process. Dutch representatives later contacted Embassy officials and said they planned to raise their concerns about Haavisto through the Dutch Mission to the United Nations. A UN official in Khartoum recommended that the USG should raise the issue directly with UN Deputy Secretary General for Peace-keeping Operations (UNDPKO) SIPDIS Jean-Marie Guehenno if the USG shared the Netherlands' concerns. -------------- Coordination with China, Regional Actors -------------- ¶2. (C) The donors discussed whether the format of the Darfur Partners Group should be expanded to include representatives from those countries which had adopted the Tripoli Consensus in April. They agreed that inclusion of regional actors and China was important and that they would encourage the UN/AU to chair such meetings. Acknowledging that exchanges between Western and Chinese diplomats in Khartoum were rare, the UK Charge described a recent meeting with his Chinese counterpart following the visit of PRC Special Representative for Africa/Darfur Liu Guijin. For the first time, the Chinese Charge did not rule out better coordination with Western diplomats in Sudan. Poloff noted the constructive dialogue between Embassy Beijing and the Chinese Government on the Darfur crisis. He suggested that other donors ask their embassies in Beijing to encourage the PRC Foreign Ministry to facilitate greater coordination at the Khartoum level. -------------- USG Views on SPLM, CHD -------------- ¶3. (C) Donor representatives underscored the necessity of a specific UN/AU strategy for the political process. Embassy officials briefed the group on its recent discussions with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM),including those with First Vice President Salva Kiir, to support the SPLM's proposal to prepare the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) non-signatories for negotiations (reftel). The donors agreed that they were willing to provide financial and political backing for the initiative once the SPLM outlined specific areas for international support. The UK Charge d'affaires questioned the level of coordination between the SPLM and Eritrea. The donors agreed that Eritrea should play an important role in the Darfur political process but were leery of Asmara convening formal talks. ¶4. (C) Embassy officials described the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue's (CHD) proposal to facilitate greater cohesion within the Sudan Liberation Arms (SLA) by organizing talks for the faction representatives in Nairobi in the near future. They emphasized that this meeting would lay the foundation for the SPLM's conference in Southern Sudan and would proceed under the auspices of the UN and AU. Donor representatives determined that other NGOs initiatives, such as those proposed by the Community of Sant Egidio and Concordis, were not viable at present. (Note: The UN and AU endorsed the CHD proposal on May 30 and are undergoing discussion with CHD staff to organize the meeting. End note.) -------------- US Sanctions -------------- KHARTOUM 00000859 002.2 OF 002 ¶5. (C) Finally, CDA Powers explained that President Bush had announced new sanctions against 31 Sudanese companies and three individuals while the donors were meeting. The USG hoped to press the Sudanese Government to fulfill its commitments under the Addis Ababa agreement of November 2006, including agreement to the UN/AU hybrid peace-keeping operation, support for the Darfur political process, and facilitation of humanitarian operations. POWERS