VZCZCXRO9513
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0497/01 0580917
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 270917Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1638
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000497 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EPET ECON SU
SUBJECT:  MEETING WITH THE MINISTER OF GENDER, SOCIAL 
WELFARE AND RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  On February 24, CG Juba met with 
Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) Minister of Gender, 
Social Welfare and Religious Affairs (MGSW) Mary Kiden 
Wani, who is also one of four GoSS commissioners on the 
National Petroleum Commission (NPC).  Wani briefly 
addressed the state of her ministry, including 
organizational challenges, and called for closer 
cooperation between line ministries and donors.  She 
explained in some detail the impasse between North and 
South over the NPC and offered her view on the White Nile 
vs. Total controversy over the Super Block B petroleum 
concession.  End summary. 
 
---------------------------- 
Computer Without Electricity 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) The Minister said that MGSW was busy organizing 
itself in spite of daunting logistical challenges.  As an 
example, she pointed to a computer and printer that her 
daughter had sent from England to help Kiden get the 
ministry organized.  For several days the electricity 
supply to her office had been off, and she was unable to 
access information on her computer, let alone tackle 
additional work.  She said that the price of a generator 
for the building was not in her budget, and said that she 
hoped the situation would improve within a few days. 
 
¶3. (U) Kiden said that coordination between donors and 
line ministries of the GoSS was of the essence. 
Otherwise, it would be impossible to coordinate efforts 
to address social welfare throughout the South.  She 
expressed satisfaction with the participation of USAID's 
Lloyd Feinberg in the first half of the meeting:  his 
input would help her coordinate the training/personnel 
activities of a project for disabled persons supported by 
USAID in Rumbek with a larger project of the same nature 
run by ICRC in Juba.  She observed that a number of 
donors were enthusiastic about gender initiatives, but 
that a number of them were also running programs about 
which the ministry was largely in the dark. 
 
----------------------- 
Struggle Within the NPC 
----------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Kiden said that the NPC was at a standstill 
after two unsuccessful tries to agree on modalities, and 
she did not know when the Government of National Unity 
(GNU) would call the southern commissioners to Khartoum 
for a third try.  She said that unresolved issues were 
the fault of the North, which continued to attempt to 
force the GoSS to accept the GNU Ministry of Energy and 
Mining as the de facto executive arm of the NPC. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Kiden said that President Bashir had attempted 
to use his visit to the South to convince Salva Kiir to 
co-sponsor a series of presidential decrees on the NPC 
that would have effectively turned that body into a 
rubber stamp for GNU Energy Minister El Jaz.  The first 
granted Bashir the right to dismiss commissioners at his 
pleasure, and the second set a quorum of six, which meant 
that the NPC could legally meet and take decisions by 
assembling Bashir, the four northern commissioners and 
Salva Kiir whenever Kiir happened to be in Khartoum.  For 
his part, Kiir had refused to agree and insisted that the 
entire commission further discuss the issues. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Kiden said that the GoSS wanted a body with 
equal representation from both sides to examine 
marketing, production figures, etc. to act as the NPC's 
executive arm, in keeping with the spirit of the CPA.  CG 
observed that there were provisions within the CPA, such 
as the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC), to 
which contentions could presumably be addressed.  Kiden 
said that the GoSS intended to use that channel. 
 
-------------------- 
White Nile Vs. Total 
-------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Kiden confirmed that any decision on the 
partition of Super Block B remained on hold.  She 
described past action by the French government and French 
companies that had helped the North in its attempt to 
subjugate the South, but said that she wanted the case to 
be decided on its merits and the basis of law (Note: 
Kiden has reportedly supported WNL in the past.  End 
note.)  She complained that she remained uninformed on 
many details - neither WNL nor Total had sought to meet 
with her to describe their proposals and answer her 
 
KHARTOUM 00000497  002 OF 002 
 
 
questions.  CG agreed that the essential point was to 
make a decision based on the facts and proper legal 
interpretation, to include relevant portions of the CPA. 
Above all, a transparent process was essential. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Kiden commented that the GoSS failure to claim 
the GNU energy ministry had been a fatal mistake.  Kiir's 
decision to yield on this point has probably been his 
worst mistake in the eyes of many southerners. 
 
-------- 
Bio Data 
-------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) There is currently limited information on 
Minister Kiden Wani, also known as Kiden Wari.  She spent 
considerable time in London and some period in Nairobi 
during the war.  She ran the UK-registered NGO Southern 
Sudan Women Concern, a group active in Kajo Keji County 
with female heads of household, particularly those 
widowed by the war.  Kiden is from Equatoria, ethnic 
affiliation unknown.  She is a vocal proponent of 
entrepreneurship among women.  Her ministry is the most 
organized and businesslike CG Juba officials have seen: 
office staff always present during business hours, and 
meetings are scheduled and conducted on a professional 
basis. 
 
HUME