TAHA ASSESSES CPA, APPEALS FOR LIFTING OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000916 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SE GRATION, S/USSES, AF A/S, AF/C, AF/E NSC FOR MGAVIN DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2019 TAGS: PREL PHUM EAID EFIN PREF PGOV KPKO SU SUBJECT: TAHA ASSESSES CPA, APPEALS FOR LIFTING OF SANCTIONS TO REPRESENATIVE ELLISON Classified By: CDA Robert E. Whitehead, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: In an August 5 meeting, Government of National Unity (GNU) Second Vice President Ali Osman Taha offered Representative Keith Ellison a mixed assessment on implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Provisions like Wealth Sharing, he said, have been successful because they require only high-level buy-in from the two parties, whereas issues like Security Arrangements are problematic because they involve a broader group of stakeholders. On Darfur, Taha emphasized the need to bridge the gap between media portrayals of the crisis and the current reality on the ground. He noted that not just Darfur, but all areas of Sudan were suffering from a lack of investment and development. He then appealed for the lifting of U.S. sanctions, arguing that they were impeding both humanitarian relief efforts and economic development by restricting access to development funds and international credit markets. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Taha welcomed the visit of Rep. Ellison and expressed high hopes for a new era of bilateral relations under the leadership of President Obama. He said an honest and frank dialogue was necessary to "break out of the stereotypes" that he claimed had been perpetuated. "We are not without our problems," he added, "but we must work to bridge what is being reflected in the media with the reality on the ground." ¶3. (C) While acknowledging the deep human suffering in Darfur, Taha emphasized that a lack of development and services existed throughout Sudan, including in Khartoum. "It's not a question of that part of the country being deliberately deprived," he said. He also sought to dispel the notion that the Government of Sudan was harassing and intimidating internally displaced persons (IDPs) by noting that the vast majority of them were living in camps in government- controlled areas, not in the rebel-held "liberated zones" or across the border in Chad. ¶4. (C) On the subject of the CPA, Taha told Rep. Ellison it was important to understand why the two parties had succeeded in a number of areas while failing in others. Provisions such as Wealth Sharing Arrangements that require buy-in from only the highest levels of government in Khartoum and Juba are easy to implement because they are straightforward, he said. In contrast, issues that involve a larger group of stakeholders and a "human element", such as Security Arrangements, are more challenging. While the North has withdrawn nearly one hundred percent of its troops from the border area, he said, the South lags far behind in disbanding or disarming as its indigenous forces from from the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile State. ¶5. (C) Overall, Taha stated that most provisions of the CPA were being implemented, and that reports from the donor-led Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC) were indicative of this. He expressed disappointment with the international community, however, for what he claimed was the latter's failure to meet financial commitments pledged at Naivasha. He joked that if all the money spent flying in delegations to assess CPA implementation was spent on actual development, the country as a whole would be better off. (Note: CDA Whitehead interjected that the USG had spent over $900 million in Sudan in FY'08, not to mention many millions more in support of UN peacekeeping forces. Taha expressed his appreciation for humanitarian assistance, but emphasized the need for development funds. End Note.) ¶6. (C) Taha also spoke at length about how U.S. sanctions were impeding both humanitarian relief efforts and economic development. "The sanctions have crippled our ability to draw development loans and access international credit markets," he said, noting that even close allies in the Middle East were hesitant to provide funds for fear of angering the USG. "The GOS has embarked on a relatively ambitious drive to develop infrastructure, including a road link from Khartoum to El Fasher, but obtaining financing has proven difficult," he said. ¶7. (C) Asked by Congressman Ellison whether elections would take place in April 2010 as scheduled, Taha noted that preparations were underway, but that "it is clear our brothers in the South are having difficulty." He emphasized KHARTOUM 00000916 002 OF 002 that while it was important to have elections, if there is not careful monitoring or reasonable guarantees that they be conducted freely and fairly, elections could actually be a destabilizing event. The NCP's nontheless wanted elections to be held on schedule, he said. ¶8. (C) Taha mused about the impact of the March 4 International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued against President Bashir. "The arrest warrant threatens agreements like the CPA and the DPA (Darfur Peace Agreement)," he said, "because it undermines the President's moral authority to deliver on such agreements." The President's status also further impedes access to international credit needed to fund commitments in both agreements, he noted. He claimed that the ICC had had a particularly "devastating" effect on the DPA and the Darfur peace process by empowering the rebels and giving them little incentive to sit down for negotiations. The greatest effect was the "moral and psychological impact" on the Sudanese nation, he said. "It is viewed by the people as an insult to our very being." ¶9. (C) Comment: Normally brief and to the point, Taha spoke at unusual length in his meeting with Rep. Ellison. Taha's passionate appeal for the lifting of sanctions shows that he and other regime leaders are eager to capitalize on what they perceive as the new spirit of goodwill emanating from Washington. It remains to be seen, however, whether Taha and other NCP insiders will take the mecessary steps to address the root causes of Darfur's problems and support full implementation of the CPA. WHITEHEAD