SRSG QAZI DISCUSSES INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION,

C O N F I D E N T I A L KHARTOUM 001430 SIPDIS NSC FOR MGAVIN, LETIM DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2019 TAGS: KPKO PGOV PREL UN AU SU SUBJECT: SRSG QAZI DISCUSSES INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION, FUTURE OF UN'S ROLE IN SUDAN Classified By: A/CDA Mark Asquino, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: In a December 16 meeting, UN Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) to Sudan Ashraf Qazi told S/USSES Deputy Timothy Shortley that the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) has been shifting its "center of gravity" southward in preparation for the post-2011 environment. He also noted that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon plans to designate Africa as his strategic priority for 2010, with a particular focus on Sudan. Moon will likely host a mini-summit on Sudan during the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa in January 2010, and Qazi urged that the USG consider sending high-level representation. He also noted the growing role of the former President Thabo Mbeki in representing the AU on Darfur and North-South issues. Qazi said a tripartite US, UN and AU mechanism may the best way to channel international involvement in Sudan, with the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC) providing a coordinating function. End Summary. ¶2. (C) In preparation for the post-2011 environment, Qazi noted that a strategic decision had been made by the UN to shift UNMIS resources towards the South. He added this process has been accelerated in the past six months. Should the South vote for secession in the 2011 Referendum, two UN missions would likely emerge for a transition period with the Mission in the north phasing out in favor of a strong Mission in newly independent Southern Sudan. The Southern Sudan mission would likely focus on peacekeeping and border patrolling; security sector reform, humanitarian relief and governance and capacity building (possibly acting as a Trustee). A mission in the North would likely have no peacekeeping presence but rather a UN agency presence. (Note: The separate, UN-AU Hybrid Mission in Darfur would remain. End Note.) ¶3. (C) Qazi expects that the UN will continue to play a strong role in Sudan now that UN SG Ban Ki-Moon has made it known that Africa will be his strategic priority for 2010, with a particular focus on Sudan. (Note: Ban's 2009 priority was climate change. End Note.) Qazi noted that his own term as SRSG was scheduled to end on January 21, 2010, but he may be asked to stay on for several more months through the scheduled national elections here in April depending on his family and his successor who has not yet been designated, he said. ¶4. (C) Qazi stated that following his Chairmanship of the AU's High Level Panel on Darfur, former South African President Thabo Mbeki has shown an increasing willingness to engage on CPA-related issues. Remarking on the strong relationship Ban has with Mbeki and AU Chairman Jean Ping, Qazi said he expected the AU to play a greater role in maintaining peace and stability in the post-2011 environment. He stated that Ban would attend a mini-summit on Sudan during the AU Summit in Addis Ababa in January 2010. Qazi encouraged the USG send similar high-level representation with either SE Gration or possibly Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attending the meeting. A joint US, UN and AU tripartite mechanism may be the best way for the international community to channel its efforts towards Sudan he said, with the AEC serving as a possible coordinating function. ¶5. (C) Comment: With the plethora of international actors and bodies attempting to engage on post-2011 issues, the potential for duplication and overlap remains high. As such, the framework for high-level coordination should be established sooner rather than later; we believe the AEC would be useful in this regard. End Comment. ¶6. (U) This message has been cleared by S/USSES. ASQUINO