PRC/SUDAN: PRC SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR DARFUR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 001388 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/SPG OLUKEMI YAI AND JAMES SATROM E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2029 TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF EAID PHUM SOCI KDEM CH SU LY CD SUBJECT: PRC/SUDAN: PRC SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR DARFUR STRESSES COMMON GOALS WITH THE UNITED STATES Classified By: Political Section External Unit Chief Eric Barboriak. R easons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) In a May 25 meeting with Special Envoy to Sudan General Scott Gration, Special Representative for the Chinese Government on Darfur Ambassador Liu Guijin agreed that the United States and China shared common goals in Sudan. Liu added that China hoped that the new U.S. Administration's "conciliatory attitude" towards the Government of Sudan would reap positive results. With the impending referendum on Southern Sudan in 2011, Ambassador Liu stressed the need to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) "whether conditions were ideal or not." Noting SE Gration's observations on the possibility of an independent state in Southern Sudan, Ambassador Liu suggested that the opening of China's new consulate general in Juba reflected China's increasing attention to the South. SE Gration welcomed Chinese participation in a number of U.S. peace initiatives for Sudan and extended an invitation to Ambassador Liu to attend the June 23 meeting on the CPA in Washington, DC. Both sides agreed on the importance of Abdul Wahid al-Nur's participation in future peace negotiations. Ambassador Liu suggested that the international community, including the U.S. Congress and relevant NGOs, had not appreciated the Government of Sudan's positive actions in the region. SE Gration underscored that only continued positive and constructive actions by Sudan would create the conditions necessary for improved ties with the United States. End Summary. ¶2. (C) In a May 25 meeting with Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Darfur Ambassador Liu Guijin, Special Envoy to Sudan General Scott Gration stated that the United States and China shared common goals in Sudan, including the desire that the upcoming referendum on Southern Sudan results in a stable, peaceful, and secure situation in the region. SE Gration urged China to work in a comprehensive and integrated manner with the United States to address the issues of North and South Sudan. ¶3. (C) Ambassador Liu expressed his congratulations to SE Gration for his achievements in the region since taking up his posting. Agreeing that China and the United States had common goals in Darfur and the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA),Ambassador Liu said the international community must prevent the "Somaliazation" of Sudan. China was pleased to see the "conciliatory attitude" towards Sudan from the new U.S. Administration and that the Government of Sudan (GOS) had responded positively. The United States and China must push for a peaceful solution because after six years of war in Darfur, it was clear none of the parties in the conflict could prevail militarily. Conversely, Liu noted that leaders from the North and the South had said they would not return to warfare, and that he tended to believe them. Liu added that 2011 was "just around the corner," and that the CPA must be implemented "whether conditions were ideal or not." Liu emphasized that Sudan required a visionary approach featuring practical measures and tangible results that would allow Sudanese people to see the benefits of peace, but that the global financial crisis and depressed oil prices would complicate the task of meaningful development. Southern Sudan -------------- ¶4. (C) SE Gration noted a number of challenges in Sudan, including preparing for the possibility of an independent state in Southern Sudan, a region that currently lacked the basic governing and economic infrastructure necessary to address the needs of a population severely disadvantaged by the unending military conflict in the region. Ambassador Liu stated that the problems in Southern Sudan, with which China had weaker ties compared to the North, were of growing importance to China as evidenced by the recent opening of a Chinese consulate in Juba. Liu wondered, however, whether both sides would ever accept the results of a referendum, agreeing with SE Gration that acceptance would depend upon the credibility of the referendum. BEIJING 00001388 002 OF 003 Peace and Stability in the Region -------------- ¶5. (C) SE Gration highlighted recent U.S. efforts to bring peace and security to the region, including his discussions in N'Djamena urging Chadian President Deby to support the Doha talks. While the February 17th goodwill agreement had not produced prisoner releases, SE Gration had pushed forward with a second round of talks to include SLA/Minni Minnawi and SLA/Abdul Wahid al-Nur as well as groups from Libya. SE Gration noted that the July 2005 Declaration of Principles (DoP) had more signatories than the May 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA),adding his view that 80 per cent of the DoP was acceptable to the relevant parties and that future discussions - rather than starting anew - should use acceptable content from the DoP as a starting point. Liu agreed, noting that individual clauses from the DPA should also be examined to determine which areas required developing further support. ¶6. (C) SE Gration also noted that the May 3 agreement ceasing hostilities between Chad and Sudan and their respective proxy rebel groups had been violated the following day. Ambassador Liu said resolving the conflict between Chad and Sudan was an important issue for the overall peace process. As a friend of both countries, China hoped to see both sides solve their problems peacefully, and China would "add its weight" to the efforts of SE Gration and the African Union on this issue. Liu agreed that in order to have real peace in Sudan, there must be a real ceasefire that allows internally displaced people (IDPs) to return to their home villages. China Support of Peace Initiatives Welcomed -------------- ¶7. (C) SE Gration described a number of U.S. peace initiatives related to Sudan, including an initiative to cultivate consensus among Sudan's neighbors on the way forward in the region, encouraging, for example, Libya to play a larger peace-making role between Sudan and Chad rather than financing the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). In addition, the United States was participating this week in a meeting of the "E6" special envoys on Sudan in Doha on May 27, to better coordinate the efforts of these special envoys. Lastly, the United States was consulting with the United Kingdom and Norway to revive the troika mechanism and would be convening a meeting of the Sudan contact group, all in a broader effort to revive enthusiasm for the CPA implementation in the few critical remaining months before June 2011. SE Gration welcomed closer cooperation with China on all of these initiatives and suggested that the formation of a more formal U.S.-China working group on development and energy issues post-2011 might be appropriate. CPA Conference in Washington -------------- ¶8. (C) SE Gration invited China to attend a conference on the CPA to be held in Washington, DC on June 23. The conference would include representatives from the NCP and SPLM (though the level of their participation was currently under consideration),the eleven other witness signatories to the CPA, and other key stakeholder countries. The conference would help "get the spirit back" of the 2005 CPA agreement and include a plenary addressing the circumstances of the signing of the original agreement and a session addressing the role of the participating countries in the events leading up the 2011 referendum on independence for Southern Sudan. Abdul Wahid Al-Nur -------------- ¶9. (C) Ambassador Liu noted with appreciation SE Gration's efforts to influence all sides of the conflict in Sudan to participate in negotiations, adding that "a strong voice" was needed to bring Abdul Wahid Al-Nur to the negotiating table. Ambassador Liu recounted his own meetings with Abdul Wahid, who had set many pre-conditions for his participation in talks with the GOS, labeling it "not credible." Liu suggested the United States exert influence on France to draw Abdul Wahid into talks, adding that the GOS had already indicated its willingness to negotiate with any political movements in Sudan. SE Gration responded that he planned to BEIJING 00001388 003 OF 003 meet with Abdul Wahid in Paris and encourage his participation in the peace process, emphasizing to him that if Abdul Wahid did not participate, he would have no voice in the future of Sudan. Government of Sudan Gestures Should Be Appreciated -------------- -------------- ¶10. (C) Ambassador Liu suggested that though the GOS remains under the scrutiny of the U.S. Congress and NGO community, the leadership in Khartoum had a good opportunity to show greater flexibility in its dealings with the United States and international community. Liu noted the "positive gestures" of the GOS regarding NGOs working in Sudan, recalling that his recent visit to Khartoum had been fruitful in finding modalities to bring the NGOs back into Sudan. Ambassador Liu stressed that the international community should recognize the positive gestures of the Government of Sudan, highlighting, for example, that the GOS had resolved the obstacles to full UNAMID deployment. He noted that GOS' fulfillment of its commitments had not engendered a positive response from the international community. "Minimal mutual confidence" did not exist between the West and Sudan, Liu commented, and the GOS remained skeptical of international intentions. China has encouraged Sudan to build mutual confidence with the outside world, and Liu reiterated that the new U.S. Administration offered an opportunity for a new approach. Liu also urged the United States to work with its allies to ensure Sudanese rebels do not misunderstand the intentions of western powers seeking to help mediate in Sudan. Better U.S.-Sudan Bilateral Relations Hinge on Sudan -------------- -------------- ¶11. (C) Noting the recent expulsion of 13 NGOs providing humanitarian assistance, SE Gration commented that by taking politics out of the Joint Humanitarian Access Communique of March 2007, the Government of Sudan had improved the environment for NGOs and created a better environment to improve U.S.-Sudan relations. Similarly, in an atmosphere of heavy opprobrium towards the GOS from Congress and the NGO community, progress on improving U.S.-Sudan bilateral relations will hinge on Sudan's ability to make sustained and concrete progress on such issues as cooperation with the UN, facilitating visa issuances for international aid workers, and taking measures to make a unified Sudan more attractive, such as resolving ongoing census disputes. Such actions would create the conditions necessary for the United States to build better bilateral relations with Sudan. WEINSTEIN