U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY MEETS WITH GOSS VICE PRESIDENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001425 SIPDIS NSC FOR MGAVIN, LETIM DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2019 TAGS: KDEM PGOV PHUM PREL SU SUBJECT: U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY MEETS WITH GOSS VICE PRESIDENT MACHAR AND SPLM LEADER ARMAN IN KHARTOUM REF: A. KHARTOUM 1370 ¶B. KHARTOUM 1400 ¶C. KHARTOUM 1404 Classified By: A/CDA Mark L. Asquino for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) Vice President Riek Machar told the U.S. Special Envoy Scott Gration in a December 14 meeting that the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the National Congress Party (NCP) agreement on three long-disputed bills was a beginning, but cautioned that much work still remains. He cited the National Security Act bill as critically-important; however, he would not agree to full SPLM party support for a revised bill even if the NCP included several requested changes. Machar confirmed that the SPLM took part in a demonstration earlier in the day, and said the reaction once again illustrated the NCP's intolerance for peaceful political assemblies. In a separate meeting, SPLM Head of the Northern Sector Yasir Arman recounted his arrest and beating in the December 7 opposition procession in Khartoum and provided details on the December 14 demonstration. He viewed the demonstrations as necessary to get action from the NCP on the many unresolved issues that he said had dragged on since the 2005 signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). End Summary. -------------- -------------- National Security Act Bill Remains a Sticking Point -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) GOSS VP Machar acknowledged that despite the SPLM and NCP agreement late in the evening of December 1 on legislation for the Southern Sudan Referendum, Abyei Referendum and the Popular Consultations for Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan States, the SPLM still participated with secondary officials in the opposition party demonstration held in the morning of December 14. In the previous demonstration on December 7, SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum and SPLM Deputy Secretary General for Northern Sector Yasir Arman were arrested, along with more than 200 others (reftel A). He claimed the December 14 demonstration was intended to demand further action on other outstanding issues that must be resolved, such as the National Security Act, Criminal Procedure Act, Public Order Law, among others. The GOSS Minister of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development Michael Makuei, also present at the Macher meeting, said the NCP is forcing opposition parties to take "drastic measures." He vowed that the SPLM will continue pushing for reform of all laws that are not in conformity with the Interim National Constitution (INC). Machar said the NCP response to the recent demonstrations proves its intolerance to peaceful marches in support of legislative reform. ¶3. (C) Machar explained the SPLM stance regarding the stalled National Security Act draft, characterizing it as a "no compromise position." He said the SPLM wanted to see the following provisions added to the draft bill when someone was detained by security forces: immediate next of kin notification, identification of detention location and a repeat of the process, including the administrative review, within three days and then every week if detention was continued beyond three days, for up to 30 days total. He called this necessary to ensure the detainees would not be forgotten. When pressed to say whether or not the SPLM would publicly support the bill if these changes were incorporated, Machar would not commit. Rather, he would only say that each member would be released by the SPLM to "act on his or her own conscience." He argued that the National Security Act, as presently written, was in violation of the Interim Constitution, adding he would like to see all rights to search, seize property, detain and arrest eliminated entirely, as suggested in both the CPA and INC. -------------- Partner or Opposition? -------------- ¶4. (SBU) In a separate meeting with SPLM's Yasir Arman, he spoke about the demonstrations of December 7 and 14. Arman recounted for SE Gration and the DCM the details of his arrest and beating on December 7 (reftel A) and spoke of how the latest opposition party demonstration (reftel C) was met with a strong police force that used tear gas to disperse the crowds. He described the day's events in which over 100 people were detained and more than 30 injured, including the KHARTOUM 00001425 002 OF 002 SPLM Financial Secretary Hafiz al-Sharif. Arman described how Sharif, who was initially present at the meeting, fled the demonstrations on the back of a pickup with Sudanese security forces in hot pursuit. Arman claimed that Sharif's truck was overturned in a purposeful accident after colliding with a vehicle driven by Sudanese security forces. Arman alleged that following the accident, GOS police officers took Sharif to a house and subsequently beat him. After displaying an injured right arm, and in obvious pain, Sharif left the meeting to seek medical attention. ¶5. (C) Arman said the SPLM is participating in the demonstrations because the remaining laws are not moving forward. He did not believe the six-week SPLM boycott bears any responsibility for lack of progress and called the boycott necessary as the NCP has only recently become serious in its negotiations with the SPLM. He admitted that the SPLM did not anticipate the arrests and police abuse that occurred during the opposition party demonstrations. He said at most, they thought the NCP might block protesters' access to the National Assembly grounds. He thought the high level of SPLM participants and visibility on December 7 would serve to prevent violence by security forces. To this end, he noted the SPLM had trained the demonstrators in non-violent tactics, which had been observed. Nevertheless, the security forces had responded violently and without provocation. Former Sudan People's Liberation Army members had put down their arms after the Comprehensive Peace agreement to participate in the political process. He said it was shocking that he and others who had political immunity had been arrested during a peaceful protest. In his view, these arrests signaled a serious breach of trust and good faith by the NCP with the SPLM. ¶6. (C) Arman said it is in the SPLM's and NCP's mutual interest to have free and fair elections. Arman added he does not view the two parties as being in a partnership. On the other hand, Arman was not willing to call the SPLM an opposition party to the NCP. He views SPLM participation in boycotts and demonstrations as acceptable methods within the existing system of pushing for legislative reforms. At one point, he said that the NCP had "ruled with iron and blood" for the past 21 years. The SPLM, he noted, is working on devising an election strategy. He refused to speculate on whether the NCP and SPLM could present itself as a coalition during the April 2010 elections. He predicted that the South would vote for secession in 2011, but noted that there would be a need for acceptance by opposition parties of such a decision. . ¶7. (C) S/USSES cleared this cable prior to SE Gration's departure. ASQUINO