ACTING A/S PHIL CARTER SPEAKS WITH GOSS PRESIDENT

UNCLAS STATE 023541 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL SU UN SUBJECT: ACTING A/S PHIL CARTER SPEAKS WITH GOSS PRESIDENT KIIR AND OTHER GOSS OFFICIALS ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Between Monday, March 9 and Tuesday, March 10, Acting Assistant Secretary (A/S) of African Affairs (AF) Phil Carter spoke with Government of South Sudan (GOSS) President Salva Kiir and, separately, Ezekiel Gatkuoth, the GOSS Head of Mission to the United States. Kiir and Gatkuoth both reaffirmed that the National Congress Party had acted unilaterally in its decision to expel the NGOs last week. Kiir had advised the NCP to reverse its decision, but believes they will not likely take his advice. He has offered to allow the ousted NGOs to come to Juba in the meantime, as well as any members of the international diplomatic community who feel that necessity. Kiir also advised that the international community should stay engaged diplomatically and politically for the sake of the people of Sudan while he is enlisting the support of his friends in the region to persuade Khartoum to reverse its decision. GOSS Representative Gatkuoth and A/S Carter discussed the necessity of the GOSS making its own decisions and Gatkuoth expressed his personal concern that if the NCP continues to exclude the SPLM from key decisions it will create a crisis within a crisis and it risks the SPLM pulling out of the GNU. End Summary. Meeting with South Sudan President Salva Kiir -------------- ¶2. (SBU) AF Acting Assistant Secretary Phil Carter called Government of South Sudan (GOSS) President Salva Kiir on Tuesday, March 10 to discuss the current situation and to express further USG desire to see the NGO decision reversed. Kiir reaffirmed that the GOSS had not been consulted by President Bashir or members of his National Congress Party (NCP) on their recent decision to expel numerous NGOs from Darfur. Kiir stated that he had advised the NCP to reverse its decision but was not confident they would take his advice. According to Kiir, it seems that the NCP is hell-bent on making decisions its own way with only a small circle of insiders advising Bashir, a dangerous path in his eyes. Kiir mentioned that he believes, based on Bashir's rhetoric, that the NCP is willing to expel more NGOs they deem to be wrongly involved in the internal affairs of Sudan. Kiir offered to let the ousted NGOs come to Juba in the meantime. ¶3. (SBU) Kiir stated that the NGO expulsion not only affects Darfur but is also a disaster for Three Areas - Southern Kordofan, Abyei, and Blue Nile. He believes the GOS has no alternative to filling the gap these humanitarian groups will leave behind, stating that Islamic NGOs will not be enough. Despite the dire situation, Kiir expressed that the only option to move forward is through diplomatic and political channels. Though the NCP is undermining all standing peace agreements in Sudan, Kiir said that it is crucial that we push forward during this crisis to work for the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). In Kiir's view, the best option for the international community is continued engagement with Khartoum as the main concern should be for the people of Sudan rather than its rulers. At this time, the SPLM has not made any decisions about pulling out of the Government of National Unity as it did over the Abyei dispute in 2007. Kiir's current moves include reaching out to friends in the region such as Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, in hopes that others can influence the NCP while it is no longer listening to the West. Meeting with GOSS Head of Mission to the United States Ezekiel Gatkuoth -------------- ¶4. (SBU) In a separate meeting Monday, March 9, A/S Carter met with Ezekiel Gatkuoth, GOSS Head of Mission to the United States, and two of his staff. During the meeting, A/S Carter affirmed the USG condemnation of the NGO expulsion and expressed to Gatkuoth that the GOSS needed to think through and determine its next steps. He explained that the USG needed to know where the GOSS was heading as we develop our engagement strategy. He emphasized that as the GOSS makes decisions, it also must carefully consider the consequences of any decisions they make in the current political climate. Gatkuoth responded that he believes senior GOSS officials should make very public statements that the decision to expel the NGOs was made by the NCP alone without GOSS input. Right now the NCP is attempting to make it seem as if this was a GNU decision. The GOSS should make it clear that if the NCP wants to exclude them, it will create a crisis within a crisis and that it risks the SPLM pulling out of the GNU at a time when Bashir needs the SPLM (note: Gatkuoth said this is because many in the NCP want to oust Bashir but are not moving now because they think the SPLM is behind him). Gatkuoth explained that these were not official options yet, but that he was just "thinking out loud." Comment -------------- ¶5. (SBU) It is not yet clear that the GOSS has made any substantive decisions about how to respond to the current situation. It is possible that the SPLM could pull out of the Government of National Unity (GNU),but that option has not been fully discussed yet and we believe that kind of move could propel a further breakdown of the CPA. It is essential that the GOSS think clearly about the consequences of any actions it may take but it must also determine its course of action quickly. While the decision is only theirs to make, the USG should counsel the GOSS leadership to proceed with caution in the hopes that cooler heads will prevail. Charge D'Affaires Alberto Fernandez may consider traveling to Juba to meet with President Kiir after the SPLM meetings to gauge next steps for the South. CLINTON