VZCZCXRO0453
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHIK RUEHJO RUEHKUK RUEHMOS RUEHMR
RUEHPA RUEHROV RUEHYG
DE RUCNDT #0944/01 1302030
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 102030Z MAY 06
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8969
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZO/OAU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA PRIORITY 0344
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 0842
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0732
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 1081
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 0647
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM PRIORITY 0254
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON PRIORITY 0454
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 0429
RUEHNJ/AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA PRIORITY 0168
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 0620
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 0638
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 0822
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUEHTRO/USLO TRIPOLI PRIORITY
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 0949
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2133

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000944 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: NI PGOV PREL SU UNSC
SUBJECT: UN ON SUDAN: 'PLEASE GIVE US MONEY' 
 
REF: 05/04/2006 BRUNO-DEPARTMENT E-MAIL ON SUDAN WORK 
 
     PLAN 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000944  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY AND GUIDANCE REQUEST.  Secretary-General 
(SYG) Annan hosted a May 4 meeting of the Group of Friends of 
Darfur to drum financial support for the humanitarian 
assistance program in Darfur, which, according OCHA U/SYG 
Egeland, is facing a $500 million funding shortfall.  DPKO 
A/SYG Annabi announced plans for a pledging conference 
between June 6-8 in Brussels, and the UN is actively seeking 
U.S. reaction to this proposal.  Tanzanian PermRep Mahiga 
made a convincing argument for securing Government of 
National Unity (GNU) support for a UN technical assessment 
mission to Darfur by couching it in terms of implementing an 
expected Abuja agreement and of strengthening African Union 
Mission (AMIS) forces on the ground.  USUN seeks guidance on 
how to respond to DPKO's proposed dates for a pledging 
conference.  END SUMMARY AND GUIDANCE REQUEST. 
 
¶2. (SBU) SYG Annan opened a May 4 meeting of the Group of 
Friends of Darfur (an organization 'founded' by the UK) with 
a plea for immediate pledges to support the complicated 
situation in Sudan, including concluding and implementing an 
Abuja accord; strengthening AMIS; and proceeding with 
planning for an eventual UN mission in Darfur.  On this 
score, Annan noted continued GNU intransigence and reported 
he was writing to Sudanese President al-Bashir for his 
support.  Annan encouraged other partners to do the same. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Most delegations who responded treated AMIS 
transition as a done deal, speaking to the need for DPKO to 
forge ahead on contingency planning and for the GNU to desist 
from its opposition to a UN force.  The UK and Portugal spoke 
to the importance of having a 'Plan B' in the event that 
Abuja did not prove successful, citing 'Responsibility to 
Protect' obligations.  The Egyptian delegate spoke to the 
need for a sustainable peace in order to ensure smooth 
transition and receptivity of potential troop contributors. 
Germany vowed to continue  air transport and logistical 
support to AMIS during the transition and noted NATO's 
willingness to do the same.  French PR de La Sabliere urged 
the UN to accelerate preparations for deployment of its 
forces to Darfur since an Abuja agreement was on the horizon. 
 The Arab League representative, however, made no mention of 
transition, suggesting instead that the GNU be commended for 
its 'flexibility' in supporting the initial peace proposal in 
Abuja. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The most eloquent plea for the need for transition 
planning to proceed came from Tanzanian PR Mahiga, who argued 
that the GNU would be helping to implement the expected Abuja 
agreement by allowing the UN assessment mission to take 
place.  While the AU needed to inform the UN of what the 
requirements were for it to remain on the ground until the UN 
could take over, a team on the ground would be needed to 
confirm this request, making an immediate assessment mission 
an integral past of enhancing AMIS.  The Nigerian 
representative endorsed this stance, as did Ambassador Bolton. 
 
¶5. (SBU) SYG Annan also noted that the humanitarian program 
in Sudan was 'losing ground every day,' citing limited access 
by humanitarian organizations to affected populations, 
funding shortfalls, spillover of the Darfur conflict to Chad 
and GNU restrictions as obstacles.  OCHA U/SYG Egeland 
elaborated on these points (drawing from his April 20 Council 
briefing), warning that in the face of a $500 million funding 
shortfall, UN agencies would effectively run out of money 'in 
the coming weeks.'  Egeland acknowledged U.S. contributions 
but said that more donors were needed, distributing a 
comparative analysis of funding for the Work Plan for Sudan 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000944  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
between 2005 and 2006 (refmail). 
 
¶6. (SBU) Egeland appealed to donors to encourage their 
respective Parliaments to dedicate funds (after German PR 
Pleuger blamed his country's '$0' entry for 2006 commitments 
on lack of a budget).  Egeland also solicited donors' 
assistance in convincing the GNU to lift restrictions against 
NGOs, especially the need to reinstitute the Norwegian 
Refugee Council in the Kalma camp.  He encouraged non-Western 
powers (i.e., Arab countries) to be more pro-active with the 
GNU in this regard, proposing a joint meeting with Gulf 
countries.  Egeland made a point of welcoming Libya as a 
donor. 
 
¶7. (SBU) DPKO A/SYG Annabi declared that despite the UN's own 
promise of assistance to the AU (beginning with establishment 
of a Joint Operations Center for AMIS operations), a pledging 
conference was a necessity, especially given the complexity 
of the security arrangements that would be involved in any 
Abuja agreement.  He noted he had spoken with AU Peace and 
Security Council Ambassador Djinnit about a possible June 
6/7/8 date for such a conference, to be held in Brussels, 
pending EU agreement.  Annabi had also proposed to Djinnit 
that the conference be preceded by an 'Abuja Implementation 
Planning Meeting' in Addis Ababa under AU auspices to 
determine additional requirements (such as troop-to-task and 
cost) an accord could produce.  The conclusions of this 
meeting, Annabi offered, could form the basis of the 
subsequent Brussels conference. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Some donors relayed their forthcoming offers of 
support.  UK PermRep Jones Parry said that the UK had 
recently promised 20 million pounds in AMIS support but 
cautioned that AMIS would require more sustained support from 
all donors, since, in his estimation, it would not be able to 
hand over to the UN until at least January 2007.  Norwegian 
PR Lovald indicated his government was prepared to offer 
additional funding, and the Netherlands representative noted 
his country had just committed 10 million euros.  The EC said 
that while it had already met its Oslo pledges, it would 
consider further funding.  The Italian PermRep announced GOI 
plans to contribute $300,000. 
BOLTON