(C) SOUTH AFRICA EXPRESSES FRUSTRATION WITH BASHIR

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRETORIA 001018 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO/PSC G. KANG, AF/S E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2017 TAGS: PREL KPKO UNSC SU SF SUBJECT: (C) SOUTH AFRICA EXPRESSES FRUSTRATION WITH BASHIR LETTER REF: STATE 033367 Classified By: Political Counselor Raymond L. Brown. Reasons 1.4(b) an d (d). ¶1. (C) PolCounselor delivered reftel points to DFA Chief Director for Africa Multilateral (DAS-equivalent) Themba Rubusche on March 20. (NOTE: Rubusche and other key SAG officials were traveling and unavailable until the 20th. END NOTE.) Rubusche expressed frustration with President Bashir's March 11 letter, saying that he feared Bashir's latest position "put us back to where we started at the beginning of 2006." Noting that South Africa does not like to "undo" agreements and resolutions, Rubusche said that the international community must find a "multilateral way" to put pressure on Bashir to allow the deployment of the Heavy Support Package. Rubusche noted the demarche request for the SAG to make a public statement on the issue, but did not make any commitments. ¶2. (U) South Africa has previously urged the Government of Sudan to implement the November 16 Addis Ababa Agreement to implement a hybrid UN/AU peace force in Darfur, most recently on February 14 when DefMin Lekota said publicly that South Africa wanted to "ensure that the AU Peace and Security Council and Security Council and the UN resolutions on a hybrid force in Darfur are fully implemented." BOST