GOC INFORMED OF USG PRIORITIES AT AU SUMMIT;

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NDJAMENA 000254 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR AF, AF/C, S/USSES, G/TIP AND DRL NSC FOR GAVIN LONDON FOR POL -- LORD PARIS FOR POL -- KANEDA ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC OTRA PREL PGOV PHUM ELA KWMN AU CD SUBJECT: GOC INFORMED OF USG PRIORITIES AT AU SUMMIT; PRELIMINARY EXCHANGES ON G/TIP ACTION PLAN AND CURBING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE REF: A. STATE 65744 ¶B. STATE 65389 ¶C. STATE 64939 ¶D. STATE 58996 ¶E. N'DJAMENA 251 ¶F. N'DJAMENA 247 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) With FM Moussa Faki Mahamat Faki and most of the Chadian delegation to the AU Summit preparing to depart for Tripoli later today, June 25, Charge d'affaires approached Chadian Ambassador to the U.S. Mahamoud Adam Bechir (who remains in Chad to assist with the June 27-29 visit of S/E Scott Gration) to pass along U.S. goals for the AU Summit, as described in Ref A. Bechir made clear that Chad welcomed USG efforts in areas such as promoting democratization, good governance, human rights, peace and security, economic growth and development, food security and curbs on gender-based violence. ¶2. (SBU) Bechir, who is working on scheduling a meeting between President Deby and S/E Gration in N'Djamena June 29, indicated that Deby was also prepared to meet with A/S Johnnie Carson in Tripoli on the margins of the AU Summit. Bechir made clear that he would communicate our goals for the AU Summit, and our desire for a bilateral meeting in Tripoli involving A/S Carson, to FM Faki before the latter's departure for Tripoli. Bechir recalled that Faki was heading Chad's advance team to the AU Summit and would be responsible for scheduling arrangements there. Bechir suggested that Washington-based travelers and U.S. control officers for the AU Summit reach out directly to Faki on June 26 or later, as flight arrangements to Tripoli would make Faki hard to reach beginning the afternoon of June 25. ¶3. (SBU) Given the emphasis that the U.S. has placed on human rights and humanitarian issues for the AU Summit, we took the opportunity of our discussion with Bechir to share the Tier III G/TIP Action Plan in Ref B, as well as U.S. interest in curbing gender-based violence (Ref C) and promoting food security (Ref D). (We have appointments in the coming days to discuss TIP and gender-based violence in more detail with the GoC's human rights experts, and will provide their reactions when available. Our conversation with the Minister of Agriculture on food security is reported in Ref E.) Bechir thanked the U.S. for the range of new initiatives in Africa, noted that he would make the G/TIP Action Plan a personal priority, given the August 15 suspense date for taking new steps to avoid sanctions, and added that Chad was interested in all of the USG's projects for the AU Summit and beyond, as part of a full and friendly bilateral relationship with the U.S. Bechir also commented on Chad-Sudan relations, on Chad's expectations for the AU Summit, and on activities of Sudan and Chad rebels. End Summary. -------------- DEBY MEETINGS WITH GRATION AND CARSON -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Chadian Ambassador Mahamoud Adam Bechir told Charge June 25 that the GoC warmly welcomed the June 27-29 return visit to N'Djamena of S/E Scott Gration, and that President Idriss Deby Itno was "aware of and ready for" a meeting, probably on Monday morning, June 29. "For the first NDJAMENA 00000254 002 OF 003 time, S/E Gration has given us a clear vision of U.S. support for Chad," Bechir said. "We are satisfied that the U.S. is willing to be a full partner with Chad." Bechir confirmed that President Deby was looking forward to meeting with AF A/S Johnnie Carson on the margins of the AU Summit Libya. In response to our description of U.S. goals for the Summit, Bechir stressed that Chad was willing to be a party to the range of U.S. humanitarian and human rights goals, and that Chad saw itself as a strategic partner for the U.S. FM Faki, who would take off later in the day for Tripoli, anticipated working with A/S Carson both to set up a meeting with Deby in Libya and in preparation for Faki's own possible visit to the U.S. for meetings with Secretary Clinton the week of July 13. -------------- BECHIR ON AU -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Asked what Chad's goals for the AU Summit were, Bechir said that the GoC had only limited trust for the organization, and limited expectations for the Summit. "We are fed up with the AU's refusal to condemn Sudan, and with the AU's inability to address conflicts and rights violations," said Bechir. "But we will go to the Summit anyway, It is the right thing to do." "Recently," he conceded, "the AU has been doing a good job about Somalia and in pointing the finger at Eritrea." -------------- CHAD-SUDAN RELATIONS -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Asked whether Chad would take the opportunity of the Summit to speak with Sudan, Bechir noted that "some discussions have been going on -- we'll see." He thanked the U.S. for continuing to insist that the two countries speak, and credited U.S. intervention with preventing a complete break in Chad-Sudan relations, which some in the GoC had advocated in the wake of the Sudan-backed rebel attacks on Eastern Chad in May. N'Djamena would distrust Khartoum until the regime there modified its behavior, said Bechir. "We have no interest in that country, but Sudan has its own agenda in Chad and wants to destabilize the situation here," Bechir continued, attributing Sudan's behavior to a desire to divert international attention away from the Darfur humanitarian crisis. -------------- SUDANESE REBELS -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Commenting on the presence in Chad of members of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudanese Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid faction (SLA/AW),Bechir stressed that the GoC had never denied that members of these groups sometimes traveled within Chadian territory. "But unlike Sudan, Chad does not use rebels as a proxy force with the aim of overthrowing the regime in Khartoum." Currently, the GoC had been advising both the JEM and SLA/AW that they should agree on a set of common principles among themselves and with other rebel factions prior to attending international negotiations, and that the Sudan rebels should consider reaching out to the Government of Southern Sudan as well. "Chad is not pushing Darfuri rebels to destabilize the region," Bechir reiterated. -------------- CHADIAN REBELS NDJAMENA 00000254 003 OF 003 -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Asked about continuing rumors of Chadian rebel movements in Southeastern Chad, Bechir said that the Chadian military had information suggesting that Sudan was currently helping various forces -- including Arab janjaweed militia and GoS-aligned forces of SLA/Minnawi -- to gather in the aim of attacking the Darfur town of Umm Jaras. (Note: Embassy Khartoum advises that UNAMID officials have reported a build-up of Sudanese Armed Forces in Karnoi and Umm Barru. End note.) Bechir added that anti-GoC rebels continued to operate in the vicinity of Chad's unsecured southeastern border with CAR. The seizure of a cache of weaponry apparently being transported by Chadian rebels arrested in Salamat Province on June 7 (Ref F) demonstrated that Chadian rebels and their supporters in Sudan and CAR intended to begin engaging in unconventional attempts to destabilize Chad, said Bechir, perhaps through terrorist attacks against GoC officials. (Note: Embassy Bangui has informed us that according to the CAR press, a Chadian rebel chief, Baba Lade, turned himself into the MICOPAX contingent at Bangui Airport earlier this month for treatment of health conditions, and that while in MICOPAX's care, he was visited by the CAR Deputy Minister of Defense and Minister of the Interior, as well as by the Chadian Military Attache. End note.) BREMNER