(C) LIBYA EXTRACTS SUDANESE, ERITREAN PROMISES TO SUPPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L TRIPOLI 000930 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, AF S/E NATSIOS AND AF/SPG NSC FOR PITTMAN AND HUDSON ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR NEA/MAG DEPT FOR AF A/S FRAZER AND DARFUR S/E NATSIOS; NSC FOR PITTMAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO UN AU SU LY SUBJECT: (C) LIBYA EXTRACTS SUDANESE, ERITREAN PROMISES TO SUPPORT SIRTE MEETING CLASSIFIED BY: Chris Stevens, DCM, AmEmbassy Tripoli, State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. In an October 30 meeting with S/E Andrew Natsios, Secretary-General of the Community of Sahal-Saharan States, Mohammad al-Madani, briefed S/E Natsios on Libyan efforts in support of the UN/AU Darfur political process, including extracting an agreement from Sudanese President Advisor Dr. Nafi Ali Nafi to announce concessions behind a ceasefire in his October 27 speech and securing a promise from Eritrean President Isaias Aferwerki to support the UN/AU-led Sirte meeting. As in previous meetings, al-Madani praised U.S. involvement in the Darfur peace process at length. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) According to al-Madani, the GOL met with Sudanese Presidential Advisor Nafi Ali Nafi in Sirte prior to his October 27 speech announcing a unilateral ceasefire. Al-Madani said Nafi agreed on a range of unilateral concessions beyond the ceasefire that he would unveil in his speech to the plenary session, but subsequently ignored the discussion and only announced the ceasefire. Top NCP officials in the Sudanese Government, including Ali Othman Taha, Salah Gosh, and Nafi Ali Nafi "think themselves capable of deceiving the whole world," said al-Madani. Noting that he knew leading Sudanese personalities well, al-Madani said the GOL regularly encourages the NCP to stop lying to the international community. ¶3. (C) Al-Madani recounted two meetings with Eritrean President Isaias Aferwerki -- one during his October 8-9 visit to Tripoli and one during an October 20 visit to Sirte -- in which Aferwerki pledged to Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi that he would "support peace efforts [for Darfur] and the Sirte negotiations". Aferwerki also told Qadhafi October 20 that he would use his influence to encourage rebel movements to attend the Sirte talks. According to al-Madani, all groups supported by Aferwerki were in Juba by the October 20 meeting. ¶4. (C) Al-Madani again praised U.S. involvement in the Darfur peace process, acknowledging that coordinated international pressure on both the GOS and the rebel movements is necessary to move the process forward. The U.S., like all countries, has pressing humanitarian and economic interests in Darfur. Al-Madani encouraged the U.S. to continue following the Darfur portfolio as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and to eliminate all obstacles to peace in the region, including sanctions on parties to the conflict. ¶5. (U) S/E Natsios cleared this message. MILAM