Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07NDJAMENA121
2007-02-07 18:46:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ndjamena
Cable title:  

PRESIDENT DEBY BACKTRACKING ON UN FORCE IN EASTERN

Tags:  CD KPKO PREF PREL SU SCRSERD 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHNJ #0121/01 0381846
ZNY CCCCC ZZH ZFR ZFR ZFR ZFR
R 071846Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4911
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1635
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 2091
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0948
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NDJAMENA 000121

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS AND LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/06/2017
TAGS: CD KPKO PREF PREL SU SCRSERD
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT DEBY BACKTRACKING ON UN FORCE IN EASTERN
CHAD


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CANCELATION - ZFR/ZFR THIS CABLE AS A NEW CABLE IS BEING SENT.
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to Annabi, Deby now claimed it was the international
community had
asked for a UN force in Chad * not the Government of Chad.
Deby
said the force he had in mind would only include civpols, not
a
military force. He feigned ignorance of the 9 December 2006
letter from the GoC to the UN requesting a multi-dimensional
UN
force for Chad. He reiterated that he had only agreed in
principle to a UN force, but he nevertheless remains willing
to
continue discussions on the matter.

Why The Backtracking?
--------------


5. (C) Annabi was not able to explain Deby,s retreat on the
positioning of a UN force in eastern Chad, other than to note
Deby,s pique over what he perceives as &unequal treatment8
by the
international community. Annabi described Deby as miffed
over the
attention the conflict in Darfur has received in comparison
with
Chad,s own plight. He seemed to feel that the UN Security
Council
has not taken seriously Chad,s complaints about attacks
coming
from Sudan.


6. (C) In discussions with Annabi and other diplomatic
representatives, several other reasons were posited for
Deby,s
reluctance on the UN force. For one, he perceives himself to
hold the upper hand now. His forces in the East are now
equipped
with armed helicopters and night vision capability, plus he
has a
solid stream of oil revenues. Deby is also prickly about
protecting Chad,s sovereignty, fears provoking Sudan or
Libya, and
lacks an understanding of peacekeeping operations (PKO).
Although
the GoS has agreed to a UN force in Chad, Qaddafi,s opinion
is
still relevant for Deby. Also part of Deby,s strategy could
be an
attempt to get the UN Security Council to side with him in
condemning Sudan and thus gaining its backing for his case
that
his problems originate entirely from his hostile neighbor.

Could The Diplomatic Community Help Change Deby,s Mind?
-------------- --------------


7. (C) Both during the general meeting with the diplomatic
community (including representatives from France, China, the
EU,
and South Africa),and the follow-up meeting with the
Ambassador,
several ideas for making a UN force more acceptable to Deby
were
discussed. One was to deploy just a civpol force here
without a
military component. Annabi felt that was not realistic. The
civpol had to have some kind of military protection. The only
cases of which he was aware where civpols did not deploy with
a
UN military force were where there was some other military
force
deployed (such as NATO troops in Kosovo). Another proposal
was to
focus the PKO,s mandate on protecting refugees and IDP,s,
rather
than on dealing with cross-border movements. Annabi did not
believe that this would get much traction with Deby, since
Deby
seemed unreceptive to the whole ideal of a PKO that included
military elements.


8. (C) Also discussed were steps that the international
community
could take to persuade Deby. One was a joint demarche, either
from UNSC member-states represented in Chad, or from a larger
group of &friends of Chad8 to include the EU and Arab states
represented here. Another was a visit to Chad by the UN

NDJAMENA 00000121 003 OF 003


Secretary

SIPDIS
General (which Annabi felt was unlikely) or by AU President
Kufor.
Perhaps the best starting point would be for the French and
fellow
African leaders to try to convince Deby at the Franco-African
Summit next week. The French CDA agreed to raise this option
with
Paris.

Contacts with Chadian Rebel Groups
--------------


9. (C) During the TAM,s visit, the team met with the
political
opposition, but had no personal contact with rebel groups.
However, in a telephone conversation, one rebel leader told a
TAM
member that they did not want a UN force, and would consider
it as
bolstering Deby,s position. However, the rebel leader made
no
threats. The TAM team expressed interest in pursuing contacts
with Chadian rebel representatives, though it considered the
matter less of a concern in view of the improvement in the
security situation since its visit in November.

Comment
--------------


10. (C) ASG Annabi,s report is due to the Security Council
by 15
February. In our view, the quickest way to get to Deby on
this
issue would be at the Franco-African Summit. The other
measures
discussed in para 8 have merit and should be explored as well.
WALL