VZCZCXRO1403
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0888/01 1021847
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121847Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2325
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000888 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR SU
SUBJECT:  Sudan:  Anti-American Rhetoric Continues from 
Government Members 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  Over the past month, high-ranking 
government officials have been giving interviews to the 
state press organ (SUNA) and major Arabic news sources to 
reiterate and amplify their claim that the crisis in 
Darfur is a Western creation, and that the U.nited 
S.tates is only interested in destroying Sudan.  In 
separate interviews held in late March or early April, 
Minister of Justice Muhammed Ali al-Mardi, Minister of 
the Interior Al-Zabair Bashir Taha, Minister of Foreign 
Affairs Lam Akol, Assistant to the President Nafie Ali 
Nafie, and Presidential Advisors Ghazi Salahuddin al-Din 
all continued to deny Darfur was anything but an ethnic 
conflict exacerbated by the West, specifically the 
U.nited States.  While the level of anti-American 
sentiment among these high government officials varied, 
at some point they all specifically blamed the U.nited 
S.tates for Sudan's problems.  END SUMMARY 
 
------------------- 
Minister of Justice 
------------------- 
 
¶2.  Minister of Justice Muhammed Ali al-Mardi gave the 
most detailed account as to why the crisis in Darfur was 
cause by tribal tensions fed by outside weapons and 
Western interests.  He said ethnic cleansing and genocide 
are impossible in Darfur, because everyone is the same 
ethnicity.  Al-Mardi explained that no one talked about a 
division between Arabs and Zaghrqawah before the media 
created a split, and that there had been normal tribal 
tensions and conflicts over resources for generations. 
He admitted that these conflicts were now worse due to 
the influx of weapons from the Libyan-Chadian, Ethiopian- 
Eritrean, and North-South Sudanese wars.  According to al- 
Mardi, his government would easily disarm these tribes 
and control the region if they were not restrained by UN 
Security Council Resolution 1519 and other Western 
interference.  Nevertheless, the Sudanese government 
would continue to seek peace in Abuja despite the fact 
that the rebels are not serious about peace. 
 
¶3.  Al-Mardi denied that any human rights violations had 
taken place in Darfur, saying those reports come from 
biased groups believing sources that lack credibility. 
He said some normal crimes occur, and that the courts in 
Darfur are handling all the cases, including cases 
against military members.  While the courts were moving 
slowly, he explained that this was unavoidable 
considering the legal process and the difficulties in 
gathering evidence across the vast reaches of Darfur.  He 
added that because these courts have shown themselves to 
be competent, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has 
no jurisdiction and would not get involved. 
 
¶4.  The Justice Minister also denied any large-scale 
pattern of rape, saying that only 64 cases of rape were 
reported in Darfur in 2005, as opposed to 94,780 in the 
United States during the same period.  He also claimed 
that the rape cases in the Uni.ted S.tates had more 
evidence behind them than the cases in Darfur, but they 
are continuing to investigate all claims received and 
will prosecute when appropriate. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Asst. to the Pres., Pres.idential Advisors Point to U.S. 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶5.  In separate interviews, Assistant to the President 
Presidential Advisors Nafie Alial Nafie and Presidential 
Advisor Ghazi Salahuddin al-Din were the most willing to 
place the blame for Darfur squarely on the shoulders of 
the U.nited StateSs.  Nafie simply said that the U.nited 
S.tates engaged in neo-colonialism in Sudan.  The first 
step in neo-colonialism, Nafie explained, is to destroy 
the sovereignty and stability of the country, hence 
Darfur. 
 
¶6.  SalahuddinAl-Din was more detailed in his attack on 
the United States.  He said that the Un.ited S.tates 
could easily apply enough pressure to end the crisis in 
Darfur right now, but it is only interested in being 
negative and creating problems.  According to 
SalahuddinAl-Din, the Sudanese dialogue with the U.nited 
S.tates had become a monologue.  The Sudanese government 
was willing to cooperate and help the U.nited S.tates 
with its biggest problem, terrorism, but the U.S. was 
unwilling to cooperate with Sudan on Darfur, its biggest 
problem.  He said that President Bashir had sent a letter 
to President Bush several weeks ago suggesting ways for 
increased cooperation and U.S. help in solving the 
problem, but had only gotten "preaching and threats" 
(Note:  a response has since been delivered, but not 
 
KHARTOUM 00000888  002 OF 002 
 
 
publicized to the press.  End note.).  Claiming Noting 
athe growing lack of unpopularity of the United .S.tates 
around the world, SalahuddinAl-Din asked, "is it possible 
that it is only the U.S. that is right?" 
 
----------------------------------- 
Interior Minister Claims Conspiracy 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  Minister of the Interior Al-Zabair Bashir Taha 
believes that the U.nited S.tates is trying to 
destabilize Sudan to gain control of its oil reserves, 
and prevent the oil frorm going East.  He said that 
Sudan's political enemies were also its economic enemies, 
and that the U.nited S.tates needed to destabilize Sudan 
and strip it of its sovereignty to cut the flow of oil to 
its Asian rivals.  Taha said that the Sudanese government 
threw Chevron out of Sudan in 1991, but it did not 
realize that a member of Chevron's Board of Directors, 
Condoleezza Rice, would later become Secretary of State, 
something he intimated was partially the work of the 
"Zionist Lobby." 
 
¶8.  Because Taha believes the U.nited S.tate's goal is 
destabilization, he does not think that a peace agreement 
in Abuja will solve the problem in Darfur.  Therefore, he 
asked the Sudanese people to continue their opposition to 
international intervention and to prepare for a long 
battle against the west. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
Foreign Minister More Diplomatic, Still Accusatory 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
¶9.  Foreign Minister Lam Akol took a more conciliatory 
tone, but still expressed the belief that the United 
States was uninterested in helping Sudan.  Akol said that 
the GNU would continue to reach out to the United States 
despite the fact that the U.S. had shown no interest in 
improving relations.  As evidence of the United State's 
unwillingness to change, he cited lack of any positive 
movement by the U.S. after the CPA was signed. 
 
¶10.  Like the others, Akol believed that foreign 
intervention would not help Darfur.  Although he was 
pleased that the African Union (AU) extended its mission, 
he had wanted ithem to completely close the door to 
foreign intervention.  He also did not understand why 
itstheir statement included references to controlling 
demonstrations and the ICC.  He lamented that if the AU 
cannot solve a "small problem" like Darfur, "where can it 
succeed?" 
 
STEINFELD