JORDAN ON DARFUR: JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, BUT HOW?

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002187

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, AF/SPG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2018
TAGS: PREL SU JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN ON DARFUR: JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, BUT HOW?

REF: CAIRO 1541

Classified By: Charge D'Affaires Daniel Rubinstein for reasons 1.4(b) a
nd (d)


1. (C) In a July 20 meeting with Charge, Foreign Minister
Bashir - just returned from the July 19 Arab League (AL)
Ministerial in Cairo - stressed that the AL had found the
"unbalanced" position of International Criminal Court (ICC)
Chief Prosecutor Ocampo vis-a-vis Sudan to be "unacceptable"
(reftel). The FM described a "strong sentiment" among the AL
members that an indictment of Sudanese President Bashir would
hamper political reconciliation. Nonetheless, he asserted,
the governments at the ministerial were urging Sudan to work
"within the system" and avoid anything that would set it, or
the AL, on a collision course with the ICC. To this end, AL
Secretary General Moussa would offer a deal to the Government
of Sudan, involving GOS commitments to move forward
energetically on reconciliation.


2. (C) Pointing out that Jordan is a member of the ICC, the
Foreign Minister emphasized that, while rejecting the request
for an arrest warrant, the AL did not reject the ICC's
jurisdiction. He averred that a common theme from African
interlocutors is the question of whether an indictment of
President Bashir would help or hurt, with a clear implication
that it could undermine international efforts to stabilize
Darfur. "Justice must be served," he said, "but how?" FM
Bashir called for a stepped-up high-level political process
and greater attention to UNAMID's equipment and resource
needs.


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Rubinstein