LETTER TO SECRETARY CLINTON ON DARFUR FROM

UNCLAS DOHA 000305 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM SU QA SUBJECT: LETTER TO SECRETARY CLINTON ON DARFUR FROM MINISTER OF STATE AL-MAHMOUD ¶1. (SBU) Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs alerted us late the afternoon of May 7 by phone to a faxed letter addressed to Secretary Clinton from Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Al-Mahmoud and requested immediate delivery of the communication. ¶2. (SBU) Below is an unofficial Government of Qatar translation of the original Arabic letter: May 5, 2009 Her Excellency Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State of the United States of America The State of Qatar, as you are aware, has been leading efforts for several months, in complete coordination with Mr. Djbrill Bassole the AU/UN Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur, in order to reach a negotiated solution for the conflict in Darfur. Such efforts, though slow, have achieved tangible progress and received necessary support from both the regional and international communities. The Goodwill and Confidence-building Agreement, concluded between the Government of Sudan and the Justice and Equality Movement, which was signed in Doha last February, is considered a tangible result of the above-mentioned efforts. The State of Qatar, in coordination with the AU/UN Joint Chief Mediator, while appreciating your country's support, calls for the organization of a meeting in Doha during the current month of May, at the level of special representatives for Sudan of the five permanent member states of the UN Security Council and the European Union, for mutual consultations and an exchange of views on the outcome that has been yielded so far by the peace talks and to work out a joint perspective regarding the quick move towards the resumption of talks and the appropriate means to support them. The State of Qatar hopes that the anticipated meeting will reiterate the unity of the international community and its robust and sustainable support for the efforts exerted by the State of Qatar and the AU/UN Joint Mediator as well as the importance of continuing talks in Doha with a view to placing the peace process on a solid foundation. The State of Qatar hopes that the foregoing meeting will adopt a joint communique which lays further emphasis on that support. The State of Qatar also relies so much on the engagement of the international community and the mobilization of international efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive and just solution, which realizes peace, security, stability and brings about welfare to the people of Darfur, the rest of Sudan and the region at large. Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurance of my highest consideration. Ahmed bin Abdulla Al-Mahmoud Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Member of the Cabinet Ratney