S/E GRATION MEETS FORMER SUDANESE PM AL MAHDI

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 000823

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, AF/SPG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2019
TAGS: PREL PHUM SU CD EG
SUBJECT: S/E GRATION MEETS FORMER SUDANESE PM AL MAHDI

REF: CAIRO 550

Classified By: A/DCM William R. Stewart for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (S) Key Points

-- U.S. Special Envoy (S/E) for Sudan, General J. Scott
Gration told former Sudanese PM Imam Sadiq al-Mahdi on April
29 that he was working on an interim ceasefire in Darfur so
that humanitarian efforts could be improved. Al Mahdi said
the effort to obtain a ceasefire was admirable because of the
need to protect civilians and provide humanitarian relief,
but he felt a more radical approach was need to address
longer term issues.

-- Al Mahdi said the Arab-centric policies of the Bashir
regime politicized ethnicity and forced aggrieved groups to
take up arms against the state, and the regime's response to
the insurrection created a humanitarian catastrophe.

-- The Imam said he wanted to create a "national forum,"
which govern until elections in 2010, and focus its efforts
on a resolution to the Darfur crisis, preservation of the
CPA, and the democratization of Sudan.

-- Al Mahdi called for a "third way" solution to the ICC
arrest warrant, which would create a hybrid court of
Sudanese, Arab and African judges to review charges of crimes
in Darfur and apply international law.

-- S/E Gration told Al Mahdi that he would factor Al Mahdi's
ideas into the USG approach, as we move beyond a ceasefire
and resolving the humanitarian situation in Darfur.


2. (C) S/E Gration, met with former Sudanese PM, Imam Sadiq
Al Mahdi, at Al Mahdi's home in Cairo on April 29. Al Mahdi
said he was supportive of U.S. efforts in Sudan because they
were creating goodwill. However, he stated that things are
so bad in Sudan, that a more radical approach is needed. Al
Mahdi said that Sudan was pluralistic society where democracy
will work and his said the current government had used force
to apply a "restrictive ideology." He said that there is a
need to create a system that will involve all the
stakeholders and govern by "democratic consensus." He told
Gration about his plan to create a "national forum" for Sudan
that would govern until future elections (reftel). The forum
would be made up of the key parties including the National
Congress Party (NCP),the Sudan People's Liberation Movement
(SPLM),the Democratic Union Party (DUP),the Communist
Party, SLA-Minni Minawi, the Eastern Front, Hassan Al
Turabi's Popular Congress Party (PCP),and Al Mahdi's Umma
Party. According to Al Mahdi the forum would work on a
resolution to the Darfur crisis, preservation of the CPA, and
the democratization of Sudan.

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The Darfur Crisis: Complicated by the ICC
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3. (S) Al Mahdi told Gration that the Darfur problem was
created by a minority regime in Khartoum that wanted to apply
its own policies to change the social and political life in
the region. He stated that trial conflict over resources has
always occurred in Darfur and was traditionally resolved by
local mechanisms. However he said that the Government of
Sudan's (GOS) Arab-centric policies politicized ethnicity and
forced those aggrieved groups to take up arms against the
state. Al Mahdi said that the regime's response to the
insurrection created a humanitarian situation where in the
U.N. had to intervene and "internationalize" the conflict.
He highlighted that prior to 2003 there was one U.N.
resolution dealing with Sudan and more than 20 since 2003,
all related to Darfur.


4. (C) The Imam told Gration that the current U.S. effort to
obtain a ceasefire was admirable because there is an urgent
need to protect civilians and provide humanitarian relief.
However, he said that the ICC decision to issue an arrest
warrant for President Bashir complicated the political
situation. Al Mahdi stated that Darfuri leaders are no
longer content with "justice", but want "regime change." He
said the rebel leaders only want to become the "John Garang"
of Darfur, but he opined that none have the status, and each
sees a gain by any leader as a loss for the others. Al Mahdi
said that if left unresolved, the conflict in Darfur will
derail the CPA and he told Gration that a resolution to
Darfur was not possible under the current government.

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The National Forum: A Way Forward

CAIRO 00000823 002 OF 002


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5. (C) Al Mahdi explained to S/E Gration the national forum's
solution for Darfur would restore the status quo ante 1989.
This would include making Darfur one region so it could
"regain its identity." He said that the Central Government
would return all land holdings to tribal administration, and
Darfur would be represented in the presidency. In terms of
justice, the IDPs and refugees would be compensated for the
houses and property and communities would be compensated for
schools and hospitals. IDPs and refugees would be returned
to their homes and those who the GOS brought in would be
evicted. The share of power and wealth would be
redistributed relative to the population, as with the CPA.


6. (C) Al Mahdi said that the CPA's assumption that the NCP
represents all the North and the SPLM represents the entire
South was faulty. He suggested a national constitution
conference to apply CPA principles to other regions. Al
Mahdi said that you cannot give the South power and wealth
sharing rights and deny the others. S/E Gration was
interested in Al Mahdi's ideas, but expressed doubts about
the NCP willingness to participate and Minawi's ability to
represent all of Darfur. He also articulated his concern
that reopening the CPA could have terrible consequences for
the future of North-South relations.


7. (C) The Imam said the NCP may not like the idea of sharing
power and wealth, but he believes the NCP would participate
because the forum offers a way to preserve the unity of
Sudan, and would give the party a deal, which he called a
"third way," on the ICC. The third way would create a hybrid
court of Sudanese, Arab and African judges to review charges
of crimes in Darfur and would apply international law. Al
Mahdi said this idea is in line with the Rome Statute and
would provide the NCP with a way out.


8. (C) Miriam al-Mahdi, Sadiq's daughter and member of the
Umma Party said that the international community needs to
coordinate its efforts into "one big effort" to resolve the
problems in Sudan. Miriam told Gration that the national
forum does not want to reopen the CPA, but get it "unstuck."
The Imam told S/E Gration that there is no quick fix to the
problems in Sudan. He said what is needed is a comprehensive
fix. Al Mahdi feels that if there is national and
international consensus behind his plan then the problems in
Sudan can be resolved. S/E Gration told Al Mahdi that he
would factor Al Mahdi's ideas into the USG approach, as we
move beyond a ceasefire and resolving the humanitarian
situation in Darfur.


9. (U) S/E Gration's staff cleared this message.
SCOBEY