EGYPT: CHAD SITUATION "COMPLICATED," WILL CONSIDER

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 000204 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2008 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PREF CH EG SU SUBJECT: EGYPT: CHAD SITUATION "COMPLICATED," WILL CONSIDER ENGAGING WITH SUDAN REF: SECSTATE 10951 Classified by Minister Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs William R. Stewart for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) We asked MFA Cabinet Advisor for African Affairs Ahmed Abu Zeid for the GoE to demarche the Sudanese government to cease its support Chadian rebels on February 6. Per reftel demarche, we stressed that the Sudanese were providing more support to Chadian rebels than before, inflaming an already bad situation, and urged the GoE to use its close relationship with the Sudanese to encourage them to cease that support. ¶2. (C) Abu Zeid responded that the GoE was not currently engaging with the Sudanese government to make these points, but that he would convey our request to Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit. While Egypt's officially stated position is that both Chad and Sudan should cease support to rebels in each others' countries, Abu Zeid noted that the situation is "complicated" given the long history of Chadian government support to Darfur rebels. Any solution to the current crisis in Chad, he said, would also have to take the Darfur situation into account. RICCIARDONE