(C) SUDAN: FCO ON NEXT STEPS ON DARFUR

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 001873 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/SPG, AF/SE, AF/RSA, IO/UNP E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2017 TAGS: PREL KPKO SU UK SUBJECT: (C) SUDAN: FCO ON NEXT STEPS ON DARFUR PEACEKEEPING REF: STATE 65750 Classified By: PolMinCouns Maura Connelly; reason 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (C) The UK agrees with the thrust of reftel and is delivering supportive messages to the African Union (AU), according to Bruce Bucknell, Deputy Head of the FCO Sudan Unit. He told Poloffs May 16 that the British ambassador in Addis Ababa had spoken with AU Commission Chair Konare on May 14; FCO minister for Africa Lord Triesman was due to speak with Konare later on May 16. The UK has confidence in new Force Commander Agwai, having worked with him in other UN PKOs, and believed he would take orders from UNDPKO in practice. That said, Bucknell's peacekeeping expert Kate Cochrane advised taking care how the issue of command and control is presented in public and to the AU: she thought the AU would bristle at the notion that it need only be kept "well informed" rather than having a say. ¶2. (C) Bucknell was concerned by reports that some in the USG were considering imposing additional unilateral sanctions on Sudan. He emphasized the importance of acting multilaterally. By his reckoning, a UNSCR to extend the arms embargo to all of Sudan was within reach: if South Africa would come aboard, we would have enough votes to secure passage and China would not use its veto. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm TUTTLE