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