MFA ASSURES EMBASSY OF PROTECTION DURING ICC CRISIS

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000290 SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR AF A A/S CARTER, AF/SPG, DS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL PTER SU SUBJECT: MFA ASSURES EMBASSY OF PROTECTION DURING ICC CRISIS REF: KHARTOUM 257 ¶1. (SBU) MFA Director of Protocol Ali Yusuf called in CDA Fernandez on March 2 to outline GOS precautions taken to protect foreign missions in general and the US Embassy in particular in the light of possible unrest after an International Criminal Court (ICC) announcement on President Omar al-Bashir. Yusuf said that the GOS had set up an inter-agency crisis management team to respond rapidly to any embassy security concerns. Sudan is serious about its international diplomatic obligations and wants to ensure that nothing happens to diplomatic personnel or premises, "there are limits to what we will allow and actions we will not permit anyone to take" against foreign missions. Effectively immediately, security would be increased at all US Embassy sites and key residences. He said that the Embassy should not hesitate to call anytime 24 hours a day either himself or General Babiker, head of diplomatic security, if there are any concerns in the next few days. ¶2. (SBU) CDA thanked Yusuf for his concern, recalled the excellent ongoing cooperation on security related issues and noted that, in addition to the four usual embassy offices in Khartoum (Chancery, USAID, GSO Annex, RAO Annex),the NEC worksite in Sobat should also get protection. Residences that need special care are places where many Americans live such as the townhouse complex and an apartment building (OBO 249) although these are already places we have long asked for extra protection since early 2008. Yusuf wrote this down and said that any other sites needing more protection can be communicated to him or General Babiker at any time. ¶3. (SBU) CDA raised the outstanding issue of some embassy vehicles still waiting for regular plates (many embassy CD vehicles were replated in early 2008 after the January 1st terrorist attack). Yusuf said that although this was taken as a temporary measure in 2008, and as a favor to CDA at the time, this was not the time to revisit this issue and he would give immediate orders for the remaining license plates to be released before March 4 and to continue the current arrangement for the time being. Embassy will follow up. FERNANDEZ