DSRSG ZERIHOUN ON ABYEI, DARFUR POLITICAL PROCESS

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000053 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, AF/SPG, S/E WILLIAMSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL AU UN SU SUBJECT: DSRSG ZERIHOUN ON ABYEI, DARFUR POLITICAL PROCESS -------------- FOCUS ON CPA, BOUNDARIES -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Meeting with DCM Powers and SPG Director Lauren Landis on January 13, the UN's Deputy Special Representative for the Secretary-General Taye Zerihoun urged all parties to maintain focus SIPDIS on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) as it enters the third year of its six year transition period. In this midstream period, critical issues such as the census, elections, redeployment of forces and boundaries remain paramount and largely unresolved. ¶2. (SBU) The 1956 demarcation line was a "legal fiction," Zerihoun said. The looming issue of Abyei should be demystified, he continued, and focus on the boundaries could help accomplish that. Later in the conversation, Zerihoun said that the SPLM was willing to give Missiriya citizenship rights on an individual basis, but not blanket tribal rights to lands. Not all boundary issues needed to be fully resolved, he suggested, citing Sudanese-Ethiopian border arrangements as examples. -------------- NOT YET TIME FOR FORMAL NEGOTIATIONS -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Talking about the latest iteration in the Darfur peace process, begun in Sirte, Zerihoun said that the negotiating teams now had three problems to solve: the issue of participation, the venue and the substance of the next round of talks. The DPA would be the basis of any negotiation, he said, but which parts? The recently formed SLA-Unity and United Resistance Front (groupings from the recent consultations in Juba and Umm Rai respectively) should come together and possibly form a leadership committee, he thought. ¶4. (SBU) Zerihoun said that the formal political process was still some way off; the AU and UN were currently developing plans for focused workshops to take place at a regional meeting some time in February. Zerihoun predicted that security protocols would be a focal point during these workshops. Recognizing that Libya was an unpopular host, Zerihoun said, "We will not sacrifice talks to the venue." He added that the AU and UN were attempting to create precedents for having talks in various venues (though likely not in Juba). He himself was hoping to step down very soon from his negotiator role, and said that a new negotiator could be announced at the upcoming AU summit. ¶5. (SBU) Turning to Abdul Wahid Nur, still ensconced in Paris, Zerihoun felt that he might become more "approachable," as the French government supposedly set this as condition for extending his visa. Abdul Wahid didn't need to physically attend the talks, Zerihoun said, but simply to sanction them. -------------- UPCOMING AU SUMMIT -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Landis pointed out that the upcoming summit provided an opportunity to follow up on the Secretary's December ministerial meetings in Addis Ababa, and to push IGAD on CPA issues. She also assured Zerihoun that the new U.S. special envoy's brief would certainly emphasize the CPA, and also to convey and reinforce coordinated, non-ambiguous policy messages to the Sudanese government. ¶7. (SBU) Comment: The AU and UN have agreed that a single, joint negotiator must be appointed, which is welcome news. U.S. participation at the AU summit presents another opportunity to press this issue, but we must also strongly advocate that this negotiator be confirmed as quickly as possible in order to effectively lead consultations and talks, whenever they do occur. As witnessed in Juba, bringing movement representatives together for consultations requires tremendous logistical planning, but should be encouraged. ¶8. (U) SPG Director Landis did not have time to clear this cable before departing Khartoum. FERNANDEZ