DEMARCHE IN PREPARATION OF MARCH 5-6 ARAB LEAGUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 000327 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/RA (JULIA PALLARES),AF/SPG E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2013 TAGS: PREL LE SY KV AL IZ SU SUBJECT: DEMARCHE IN PREPARATION OF MARCH 5-6 ARAB LEAGUE MINISTERIAL MEETING REF: STATE 19473 Classified By: CDA Alberto M. Fernandez, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) CDA Fernandez delivered subject demarche to Sudanese MFA Under-Secretary Mutriff Siddiq on the margins of a meeting to discuss Guantanamo detainee issues. Siddiq said that Sudan's participant in the upcoming Ministerial, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ali Karti, will be guided by whatever Arab League consensus may emerge on the three issues listed in reftel. He remarked that, as far as the terrorism question is concerned, Sudan is already cooperating with the U.S. on such issues. ¶2. (C) Siddiq did not expect much controversy on the Kosovo issue as it will be resolved by consensus but warned that there may well be no such consensus emerging on Lebanon/Syria related matters. Except for counter-terrorism, none of these issues are of major concern to a Khartoum regime focused on bilateral tensions with the U.S. because of Darfur, Chad and the implementation of the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Some Sudanese officials, outside the MFA, do see an independent Kosovo, despite sympathy for the Kosovar Muslims, as a worrying development that could see an independent Kosovo today but set a precedent for an independent Darfur tomorrow. FERNANDEZ