VZCZCXRO8100
OO RUEHMR RUEHPA
DE RUEHDS #0170 0220906
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 220906Z JAN 06
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8705
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ADDIS ABABA 000170 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2016 
TAGS: PREL SU AU
SUBJECT: AU PRESIDENCY: ETHIOPIAN PM MELES SAYS BASHIR 
LACKS VOTES 
 
 
Classified By: CDA Vicki Huddleston for reason 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: A/S Frazer told PM Meles that increasing U.S. 
engagement with the African Union would be jeopardized if the 
upcoming AU Summit in Khartoum elected Sudanese President 
Bashir the next President of the General Assembly.  Meles 
said he did not think that Bashir had the votes to be 
elected, although Egypt and Libya supported his candidacy. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) AF Assistant Secretary Frazer called on Prime Minister 
Meles Zenawi January 20 to discuss the Presidency of General 
Assembly of the African Union, UN Resolution 1640 on the 
Ethiopia/Eritrea border dispute and the Ethiopian internal 
political situation.  The latter two issues are reported 
septel. 
 
¶3. (C) Prime Minister Meles said that the issue of the AU 
Presidency was still pending and procedures for the election 
were not clear.  He had talked to the Sudanese to let them 
know that seeking the Presidency was not in their interests 
or those of the AU.  The South Africans were also working on 
the issue.  A/S Frazer asked what Meles meant by procedures 
being "unclear."  There must be some sort of elections, she 
speculated.  Meles said that the Libyans and Egyptians 
supported Bashir and might be misleading him to believe that 
the votes were there,  but others were telling Sudan not to 
contest.  If all the states vote, Meles said, he doubted that 
Bashir could win. 
 
¶4. (C) A/S Frazer asked if the first vote would be on the 
Bashir candidacy and a second vote on who would be the AU 
President.  Meles said he thought the vote would be among all 
those who wished to contest the election for the Presidency 
of the AU.  Frazer replied that the USG was planning to 
increase its engagement with the AU, but that engagement 
would be put in doubt if Bashir were chosen as President of 
the General Assembly.  The US Congress might also block 
additional support to the AU, especially since the AU Mission 
in Sudan (AMIS) was in Darfur to protect residents from 
attacks by, or supported by, Sudanese government forces. 
HUDDLESTON