DEBY-GRATION MEETING: DEBY WANTS TO HELP USG

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NDJAMENA 000264

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STATE FOR AF, AF/C AND S/USSES
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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MOPS ASEC AU UNAUS SU CT CD
SUBJECT: DEBY-GRATION MEETING: DEBY WANTS TO HELP USG
ACHIEVE REGIONAL STABILITY

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SUMMARY/KEY POINTS
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1. (SBU) Meeting with Special Envoy Scott Gration June 29,
Chad's President Deby Idriss Itno made the following points:

-- Resolving the Darfur crisis is a key goal for Chad.

-- Chad is committed to implementing the Doha agreement of
May 3 and views the recent decrease in tensions in South
Sudan as a positive development.

-- Chad deeply distrusts Sudan in the wake of the early-May
Sudan-backed rebel attacks on Eastern Chad, and in the face
of continuing evidence that Sudan is supplying Chadian
civilians with land mines and other military equipment, which
in Deby's view could spark a civil war.

-- The U.S. should keep the pressure on Sudan and not take
the Bashir regime at its word.

-- Lack of resolution of the situation between Sudan and
Chad, coupled with significantly increasing fragility in CAR
and lack of clarity on succession in Gabon, could result in a
dangerously destabilized sub-Saharan region. The U.S.,
Europe and Arab nations should pay attention to developments
and encourage negotiating processes to decrease tensions.

-- Chad would cut off assistance to anti-Sudan rebels,
including the JEM, and pressure the JEM to return to the
negotiating table, if the GOS ceased supporting Chad rebels
in Sudan, and if the U.S. strengthened its bilateral
relationship with Chad.

-- Deby does not intend to meet with President Bashir at the
AU Summit in Tripoli, "unless Sudan shows good will and stops
recruiting mercenaries." Deby does not rule out meetings at
a lower level between members of the Chad and Sudan
delegations.

END SUMMARY.

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S/E GRATION URGES SEIZING THE MOMENT
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2. (SBU) Special Envoy Gration thanked President Deby for
his relatively restrained response to the early-May Chadian
rebel incursions in the vicinity of Am Timan, expressed
appreciation for Chad's efforts to lower regional tensions
and welcome refugees, and made clear that now was the time to
attempt to pursue normalized relations with Sudan. Gration
described the previous week's conference in Washington to
raise international support for the CPA, as well as progress
on trilateral talks with the Sudanese parties over
outstanding issues such as the Sudan census, North-South
border demarcation and Abyei. He made clear that the
leadership in Khartoum was committed to resolving differences
with Chad and hoped to meet with the Chadian delegation at
the AU Summit in Tripoli in the coming days. The U.S. had
pressed the Sudanese to limit support for Chadian rebels and
would continue to do so, Gration indicated. Chad now needed
to take parallel steps to withdraw support from rebel
movements, including the JEM, who were attempting to
destabilize Sudan.

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DEBY CALLS FOR GREATER PRESSURE ON SUDAN,
INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION TO REGIONAL CONTEXT
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3. (SBU) Deby praised recent developments related to South
Sudan and the CPA, but advised against overestimating their
impact. He expressed commitment to the Doha Accord of May 3
between Chad and Sudan and urged the U.S. to continue
pursuing its implementation. Regarding Darfur-specific
negotiations in Doha, he noted that "some countries, for

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example Qatar, might be too small" to bring about real
progress on a conflict with the magnitude of the Darfur
crisis. "Some states do not respect the Doha process," Deby
continued, implying dissatisfaction with Egypt's role. Thus
the U.S. needed to remain involved, in order to move things
forward and keep the pressure on Sudan to fulfill its
pledges. "Sudan has a lot to gain by implementing the Doha
accords and not letting Darfur split off," he added. "But
the Sudanese do what they want, and only listen when they
want to." Asked whether he planned to meet with President
Bashir at the AU Summit in Tripoli, Deby said that "nothing
is on my agenda. I won't do anything with Sudan unless it
shows good will and stops recruiting mercenaries who fight
against Chad."


4. (SBU) Deby then described the "price that Chad has been
paying for the misdeeds of others," in terms of hundreds of
thousands of refugees from Sudan, tens of thousands from CAR,
instability in refugee camps as rebel groups recruited there,
attacks on MINURCAT and the Chadian national Detachement
Integree de Securite (DIS) that was policing the camps, and
theft by Chadian rebels of NGO and IO equipment and vehicles.
With respect to the situation in CAR, Deby said, "No one is
helping. Can you get President Obama to help?" Deby then
noted that with Gabonese President Bongo gone, and no clear
way forward on succession, that nation "might explode." Deby
called for "open support" from the U.S. to prevent Chad and
the Southern Sahara from being destabilized, adding that
"instability is what Sudan wants." He stressed that the
U.S., Europe and Arab nations should work together at the
present moment for peace to try to resolve the constellation
of regional problems.

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S/E ENCOURAGES PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
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5. (SBU) S/E Gration made clear that the U.S. shared Chad's
concerns about CAR and Gabon, and that we viewed Chad as a
friendly state in a troubled region making progress toward
democratic transition. What was lacking in the region was
trust, continued Gration. The U.S. trusted Chad. We were
presently trying to build a relationship with Sudan that
would allow us to negotiate bilaterally into the future. In
order to increase trust between Khartoum and N'Djamena, the
two sides needed to cease support for rebels across the
border. Sudan had not behaved in a trustworthy manner in the
wake of the signing of the May 3 Doha accord, in that the
rebel attacks on Chad had begun a day later. Our mode was to
verify Sudan's claims and offer trust afterward. Even amid
broken promises and distrust, Chad and Sudan should look to
the future and try to identify confidence-building measures.
If Sudan kept its word to the U.S., our bilateral relations
would develop in a positive direction. If Sudan broke its
promises, we would use sticks rather than carrots.

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DEBY ON JEM
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6. (SBU) Gration emphasized that the U.S. needed Chad's
help in encouraging regional trust, and in particular in
making sure that the Sudan rebel Justice and Equality
Movement (JEM) made itself a part of the solution and ceased
military operations that were only increasing the numbers of
refugees from and IDPs within Darfur. If the JEM were
willing to lay down its arms and work as a political force
along with other groups, there was room for it.


7. (SBU) Deby said that he appreciated Gration's efforts to
get the GoS to cease support for Chadian rebels, and to allow
those rebels who wanted to lay down their arms and return to
Chad to do so without interference. But he added that "what
the janjaweed used to do, the Sudanese military is now
doing." Chadian civilians were being killed by land-mines
provided to Chadian rebels by Sudanese armed forces,
continued Deby. As for U.S. concern that Chad was sustaining
the JEM, Deby asked, "Why would I use my own army to fight in

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Sudan if the JEM answered to me?" The JEM were "close
relatives" of Chad, but Chad was not training, equipping or
giving them vehicles as was the case with Sudan's support to
Chad rebels. Chad would cut off assistance to the anti-Sudan
rebels, including the JEM, and pressure the JEM to return to
the negotiating table, if the GOS would cease supporting Chad
rebels in Sudan, Deby said.


8. (SBU) Gration acknowledged that Chad had a right to
protect its people, but he reiterated that Chad also needed
to take steps to reduce tensions, and this would involve
reducing support for the JEM. "I trust that you will do the
right thing," he said. Deby replied that he hoped he could
count on President Obama to help restore peace. "I'll
continue to advise JEM to stop fighting and return to the
negotiating table to try to find a lasting political solution
to the crisis." he offered. "Chad needs peace. We want to
focus on development, not on fighting."

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BECHIR ON JEM
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9. (SBU) In a preparatory session June 28 with Chadian
Ambassador to the U.S. Mahamoud Adam Bechir, S/E Gration
emphasized the destabilizing nature of Chad's support for the
JEM, particularly now that other Sudan rebel movements
appeared committed to negotiations. Gration then sketched
out U.S. efforts to convince Sudan to cease support for the
Chadian rebels. Bechir, who responded in a more direct
manner than Deby, endorsed the notion of international border
monitoring, perhaps through a joint MINURCAT-UNAMID
mechanism, to make sure that rebels on both sides of the
border were better contained. He then asserted that although
Chad's standard line about the JEM was that the force was
independent, in reality it did receive some "support" from
Chad, as part of Chad's "strategy of self-defense." With
Sudan having accused Chad of being a puppet of the U.S. and
Israel, thus causing all Arab assistance to dry up, Chad felt
very much isolated. If the U.S. really were to offer a hand
to Chad, then Sudan's efforts to destabilize the nation would
end and Chad would have no need for JEM. Bechir recalled
that just several years before the current low in relations
with Khartoum, Chad had actually fought the JEM in support of
Sudan. "You are the only country that can pressure Sudan,"
he continued. "We need assurances from you that the U.S.
will not allow Sudan to make us into a religious state. We
would give up Khalil in a minute in exchange for your open
support. We know him to be a bad guy." "On the other hand,"
said Bechir, "if we withdrew all assistance to Khalil, and we
didn't have your backing, Khalil would turn against us -- he
is that sort of person. Unless you promise to be there for
us, I doubt that we will want to take such a risk."


10. (SBU) Speaking about U.S. goals for the AU Summit,
Bechir offered that "we are ready to work on human rights,
trafficking, all your other initiatives." He continued:
"Deby is thinking about his legacy. He wants to move toward
democracy, and improve Chad's reputation. We have long had
help from French troops, but a show of U.S. interest -- in
the form of a high-level visit to N'Djamena, or a high-level
meeting in Washington -- would be worth much more to us. A
C-130 full of uniforms would raise our morale. In any case,
"we want strategic allies, and we are not threatening Sudan."

NIGRO