SUBJECT: SUDANESE CHURCH LEADERS URGE INTENSIFIED

UNCLAS GENEVA 000528 SENSITIVE SIPDIS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY DEPT FOR IO/RHS, DRL/MLGA, L/HRR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM AORC UNHRC US SU NGO SUBJECT: SUBJECT: SUDANESE CHURCH LEADERS URGE INTENSIFIED SUPPORT OF CPA ¶1. (SBU) Acting Political Counselor and Political Section intern met with the Sudanese Church leaders affiliated with the World Council of Churches on June 17 on the margins of the Human Rights Council session in Geneva. Rev. Both Reth Luang of the Presbyterian Church of Sudan, Isaac Kenyi Kungur of the Sudanese Catholic Bishops Conference, Bp. Micah Laila Dawidi of the Bishop Episcopal Church of Sudan, Dr. Theodor Rathbeger of the World Council of Churches,and Ms. Marina Peter of Sudan Focal Point Europe urged heightened attention to the situation in Sudan, and in particular the fragility of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). ¶2. The group highlighted their concerns that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) could collapse if not properly nurtured, implying that the international community had lessened its focus on the CPA. Kungur and Luang both argued for international support of the CPA, which in their view still required monitoring and lacked sufficient strength to keep the country stable. Dawidi suggested that there is a possibility that the intention of the GOS was to let the CPA fail, something that should not be allowed to happen. Kungur expressed fear of government collapse if the CPA failed, noting the 16 month lag in holding elections originally scheduled for 2008. Peter pointed out the high level of fatalities in Southern Sudan which have exceeded that of Darfur and called for added attention to this area. Kungur also felt the conflict to be spreading and displayed pictures of the destruction and death in the town of Abyei and the region of Mahjiria, neighboring Darfur. ¶3. The group encouraged the United States to remain engaged with Sudan on Darfur, but to focus as well on the North/South tension and the risk of collapse of the CPA. STORELLA