DISCOURAGING ATTENDANCE AT THE MARCH 27-30 ARAB

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 000341 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/RA, NEA/ARN, AF/SPG E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/2013 TAGS: PREL SY SU SUBJECT: DISCOURAGING ATTENDANCE AT THE MARCH 27-30 ARAB LEAGUE MEETING IN DAMASCUS REF: STATE 23590 Classified By: CDA Alberto M. Fernandez for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Charge Fernandez raised concerns in reftel with Sudanese Foreign Minister Deng Alor on March 8, on the eve of a State visit by President Al-Bashir to Abu Dhabi. Alor admitted that he had been thinking of attending the Arab League Summit (his first since being named Foreign Minister in December 2007) in Damascus. As far as he knew, President Al-Bashir had no intention of attending but Alor warned that the SPLM's partners in government, the National Congress Party (NCP),do not always share such decisions until much later before such events. He added that given American concerns, his own preference would be to send Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ali Karti (who attended the preparatory meeting in Cairo) but he would have to be guided by Al-Bashir and First Vice President Salva Kiir's direction. ¶2. (C) Alor admitted that there is a divide on such issues in the Sudanese Government. The SPLM has no interest in concerns such as Lebanon and Syria and would much prefer to accommodate the Americans. The NCP values its Arab League ties and while not particularly concerned with Lebanon per se, has cordial relations with the Syrian regime and with Syria's patron, Iran, whose Defense Minister just visited Khartoum this week. FERNANDEZ